She's a Rebel III: Cupid's Chokehold
by Jewelgirl04
Summary: After her highly-anticipated return to the ring, Jessica and John begin to plan their wedding, only to find a kink in their plans they never could have anticipated. Cena x OC x ?
1. Chapter 1

Everyone's life is a story and it's theirs to tell.

Mine isn't like that of most people. For the first seven years of my life, I bounced around from private school to private school. Eventually, I wound up in West Newbury, Massachusetts. If you're asking how that happened, which you probably are, you'll find out a little bit later on.

In West Newbury, I was raised by my step-grandmother, Diana McMahon, who was married to my late grandfather, Vincent J. McMahon. During this time, I grew to find a second family in the Cena boys next door.

Diana McMahon was God's gift to this earth. While some might dispute this, had you known Grandma Diana, you would completely understand. After losing my grandfather to cancer, she never crumbled. Instead, she lived out the rest of her life in tribute to him. She was truly an amazing woman whose shoes I someday hope to half-fill and whose shadow I gratefully walk in forever.

My mother, Linda, and I have always been exceptionally close, despite the distance put in-between us. Until I hit high school, and slept in until the last possible moment, there was never a morning she didn't call and we didn't speak. To this day, I consider my mother to be one of my best friends and role models.

My father, Vincent K. McMahon, and I, on the other hand, had an incredibly turbulent relationship until I was around nineteen. I resented him for dropping me off at Diana's when I was only seven, without explanation, and he distanced himself from me out of guilt. It took a very long time for me to accept that what he had done was really out of love and to reconnect with him, but in the long run, I'm very glad that I did. Working with him almost everyday has brought us much closer together and I am grateful for the time we've had to makeup for that which was lost.

My older brother, Shane, and I have the type of relationship that was envied by most of my friends growing up. Despite the fact that we lived at least six hours away from each other by car, we always talked when we could. Shane is eight years older than I am, but that never really affected how close we were as we got older. In fact, the older we got, the more that helped keep our bond strong.

It was weird, by the time I turned eighteen, I already had a sister-in-law, something that most of my college friends did not. Right before my twenty-sixth birthday, I became an aunt for the first time when my sister-in-law, Marissa, gave birth to her and Shane's son, Declan. I, of course, was more than willing to take on the duties of the "cool aunt" and even after my second nephew, Kenyon, was born in 2006, I've kept playing that role rather well, if I dare say so myself.

And then there's my older sister, Stephanie. Up until she got married, we were never really close at all. She was jealous that I had a whole different life growing up and tended to be successful without using my last name, a fact that she swears by to this day. We were two completely different types of women. Yes, she was a field hockey player in high school, but for the most part, Steph was the carefree girly girl and I was the academically driven, tomboy.

After she married Paul Levesque, also known as WWE Superstar, Triple H, in 2003, our bond strengthened. I helped a lot with the planning of the wedding and organizing everything, since the normally carefree sister I had always known, was on the verge of a breakdown, juggling her obligations to the WWE and her wedding plans at the same time. It wasn't really until the birth of my niece, Aurora, in 2006, that we had regular visits with each other and our respective partners. Despite her tendency to be a little bit of a bitch growing up and in the early portions of adulthood, I'd never trade my older sister for anything in the world.

Then, there's John Cena… the guy I've known for practically my entire life. The way that we met in the first place was purely happenstance and the way we wound up together again, after a long period of not speaking, was somewhat serendipitous. I never really had any serious relationships growing up, nor more than a few that lasted over six months once I made my way into the family business. Now, at twenty nine years old, I've come to realize that John Cena was the first true love of my life, even when I was still just a kid growing up in West Newbury, Massachusetts.

Of course, the moment I bring up John Cena, a hush will usually fall over the room. Everyone wants to ask the question, but no one ever does. The question being "How did everything end up this way?"

The simple, albeit unsatisfying answer to that question is that I really don't know. It's not everyday that you find yourself engaged to be married, only to find out that someone you've always considered a friend is madly in love with you and it's the reason he recently left his wife. Certainly, if your personal life got dragged through every tabloid in existence, you wouldn't know what to do either.

So I did the best that I could to make the decision that in my heart, I knew was right, and then I got married.

Not satisfied? I didn't think so. I'm sure you're sitting wherever you are at the moment, still wondering how everything wound up this way. Well, I think it's about time that the world stopped speculating and finally learned the truth, so for the first time ever, allow me to tell you the story of how it all really went down…

* * *

**A/N: I know that this is kind of a short chapter, but I definitely believe this one has piqued your interest, hasn't it?**

**As you can see, the different format is that of Jessica's autobiography. I thought it'd be good for a change of pace. You'll see how it plays into it as the story progresses. There's going to be snippets from the book as commentary on events and occurences and perhaps chapters of the book that are chapters all together. I'm not quite sure yet.**

**And as for that married superstar... feel free to start guessing. I can't WAIT to hear them. The banner will be up when the superstar is revealed down the road.**

**In SAR II, I was pleasantly surprised to end with over 230 reviews for 20 chapters! Let's see if you guys can out do yourselves! Review! :-)**

**Danielle**


	2. Chapter 2

_John cringed as he felt the needle slide beneath his skin. While he had never been the type to complain about pain, he hadn't prepared himself for the stinging sensation. In fact, he had never had an IV in his arm and now, at thirty years old, it marked the first occasion._

_Oh, goody._

"_Mr. Cena," a blonde nurse in her late forties smiled at him as she placed medical tape over his wrist where the needle met his skin._

_He looked up at her with cloudy blue eyes._

"_Dr. Andrews will be in to speak with you in a few minutes. Afterwards, we're going to give you the anesthesia and you'll be in surgery a short while later," she explained._

"_Thanks," he nodded as she left the room._

_The last time he had a surgery explained to him, it was Jessica's back in 2005 and he remembered just how much hell had followed._

_John shook his head at the thought and looked down at his left hand, where he was hooked up to the IV._

_A lot had changed since then._

"_John," Dr. Andrews addressed him as he entered the room. "Long time no see. You remember what we walked about yesterday. I can't say that I'll give you a six-pack of beer in your IV to knock you out, I'll need more than that. I think we'll put in a keg. You're definitely a heavier drinker than your girlfriend."_

"_Dr. Andrews…" John shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend anymore."_

"_Right, sorry," he apologized. "It's hard to get used to."_

"_Tell me about it," John snorted._

"_Anyway, we'll get that keg of beer in your IV and then I'll see you later, alright?"_

"_Sure," John replied with a nod and watched as the doctor retreated from the room._

* * *

_Slowly, the beeping of his heart monitor crept back into his mind, followed by the rest of the sounds in the room._

_He felt dizzy. He felt weak. He felt numb._

_Someone was holding onto his hand, but in his weary state, he chalked it up to a nurse taking his pulse._

"_Maybe they did put a keg of beer in my IV," he mused groggily, his eyes still struggling to open as he caught a flash of caramel hair._

"_I think that would bring your blood to an alcohol level that would put even Amy Winehouse to shame… then again, that's probably anatomically impossible, seeing as you'd kill yourself before you ever came to realize it."_

_John's eyes finally pried themselves open and he stared up into a pair of hazel eyes._

"_Jessica?"_

_Noticing his vision was still blurry, she smiled warmly, "Yeah. It's me."_

"_How…?" he asked her, confusion in his sapphire eyes._

"_Doesn't matter," Jessica shook her head simply and gave his hand a light squeeze. "All that matters is that I'm here, right?"_

"_I just… I just didn't think you'd be here," he shrugged and stared down at their intertwined fingers. "I mean, you were in Australia."_

"_John," she shook her head lightly, her loose blonde waves swaying with her, "Did you really think that when I heard, I wouldn't come running."_

"_I don't know. I guess," he replied, still looking down at his right hand, firmly within her left._

"_You guessed wrong," she arched an eyebrow at him._

"_How was your flight?" John asked her, avoiding her reaction as he finally looking up and made eye contact._

_She sighed, "Long."_

"_How long?"_

"_Put it this way," Jessica began with a laugh, "From the time you arrived in Birmingham on Tuesday morning, until you went into surgery three and a half hours ago, I was in the air."_

"_That's a long time," he chuckled lightly and looked back down again._

_For a few moments, they sat there in complete silence. _

_The truth was that they hadn't seen each other in a month and there were so many words dancing on their tongues, waiting to be spoken, but a hospital room was not the place to do so._

_John ran his thumb lightly over the diamond band of her left finger._

"_John, I…"_

"_You know," he cut her off. "I don't think that I ever truly understood the commitment that went along with this ring. Well, until today, anyway."_

"_I really wanted you to be there, John…"_

"_Me too," he nodded. "Your father just really needed me this month, the whole angle with my dad and all."_

"_I understand," Jessica nodded, as well. "If anyone understands that, it's me. I just wanted to tell you that it's okay. It's okay for you to have priorities, John. I just had to go away for a little while, take a break. I mean, how long have I been wrestling non-stop…"_

_John shook his head, "No, Jess. This isn't the time or place. I'm on too many painkillers to be coherent right now," he added with a chuckle. _

"_Right…" she trailed off into silence._

"_Come home with me."_

"_What?" she eyed him. "You're insane."_

"_You've got your suitcases, right?" John asked her, to which she nodded. "Fly down to Tampa with me. We'll pick up where we left off."_

"_We left off with a fight," Jessica informed him._

"_Then we'll resolve it."_

"_Jesus Christ, John," she rubbed her tan cheek. "It's not that easy."_

"_You and I were never easy…" he trailed off with a knowing smile._

"_It was always Liz," they added in unison, laughing at their own antics._

"_So what do you say?" John asked her._

_Jessica exhaled deeply, "I can take a few days. Why are you so hopped up to get me to Tampa, anyway?"_

"_I get to wake up like I did today," he replied with a shrug._

_She leaned in closer to his bed, her forearms now resting on her thighs, "And how is that?"_

"_To your face," he answered. "I haven't for a while… and I… I just missed being with you, you know?"_

_She nodded, "I'm sorry."_

"_Jess, don't be, okay? You have a great career, a great life... and I'd never want you to throw it away on me."_

_She nodded silently and stared down at her engagement ring. Only second in beauty to her wedding band, solely because it solidified her commitment to her husband, the diamonds sparkled in the fluorescent lights of the hospital._

_John was the first to break the silence, "So what are you going to tell him?"_

"_Tell who?"_

"_Don't you play coy with me. You know exactly who I'm talking about."_

_A thin smile crept across her porcelain face, "I'll just tell him that there's somewhere else I need to be right now."_

* * *

**A/N: Once again, I know this is kind of short, but trust me, it needs to be standalone. **

**EDIT: For the record, this is a flash forward to October 2007. The span of She's a Rebel 3's "present" is from where we left off in She's a Rebel 2. This is the only flash forward scene in the story. However, there might be a few portions here and there of commentary from Jessica's autobiography. I hope that clears up any confusion.**

**I'm glad that I've got you all both hooked and guessing. I'll continue to keep you guessing for a little while, I think. I'm going to put a tally of guesses at the bottom of all of my author's notes until the married superstar is revealed.**

**And by the way, this chapter is in honor of John's 31****st**** birthday today! Happy birthday, baby!**

**I am incredibly stunned by the amount of reviews I garnered for a single chapter… TWENTY SIX! That is INSANE. You guys rock.**

**Shout-outs:**

**MyTeddyBearsLilSis – **I'm glad that you like the start. I'm still contemplating on how to integrate the new format, though.

**xtobelovedx – **I hope it's as SUPER cool as you think it'll be.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Spell bound? New one, even for me. Come on… take a guess!

**Goddessofthenite – **I know you know, so thank you for not telling anyone. As we recall, you knew who it was before She's a Rebel I was even over. Haha… and sorry you weren't first. You just took too long, I guess.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Interesting guess, re-reading might be a good idea. I'm glad you like the change of format, too.

**StartingLine722 –** Yay! That makes me happy. So you think it's Orton? Hmm.

**CandaceMcMahon – **I think it's exciting too. And another Randy vote.

**Lauren – **Interesting thought on The Rock. Hmm.

**Sideways anger – **Seriously, if you amazing people keep this up… it's going to hit 100 by Chapter 5. Oh my God… that'd be AWESOME!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 - **I'm glad you like the change in style. Who was your other guess?

**JeffHardyFan02 – **Ahh… I was waiting for someone to say Adam. And another Randy!

**Inday – **Thank you!

**Cena-holic8 – **Welcome to the review club… thanks for beginning to review this story. I'm glad I drew you out of the woodwork! I'm so glad you think this story is well-written and you're enjoying this story. Another Randy vote!

**The.Black.Psycho.Barbie – **I mean, you totally could. I'm not going to stop you. Tell you what… print it out and bring it to school with you. You can read it during the breaks of practice testing.

**Pr0udpnaii x33 – **I'm glad I got your attention. I think this one will throw you all for a loop.

**Giftiebee – **Yes, I did!

**Snap DDT – **Oh my God. You returned. I guess this means that now that both this and More Than Words are up… you're going to expect Only One? Damn. Oh and speaking of which… there's a certain appearance in the latest chapter of MTW you MIGHT want to check out. hint hint

**Dj-ssdd – **I'm guessing you love it?

**Westfan – **I know! I told you I've got a few chapters in the tank! Think about it though, no one has really shown any jealousy signs before, now have they?

**Sailormama – **Chapter 1 isn't actually a year later. It's a flash forward, just like this chapter. This one is going to pick up right where SAR II left off once we get to the present. Sorry for the confusion.

**Miniature-hero – **Mega-excited?! ANOTHER first.

**Fozzy-Floozy – **I am so glad you like it!

**Melissa – **Thank you!

**Purplefeather21 – **It will be revealed… probably in about six chapters or so.

**Lady Luv – **I'm glad I've got your attention, but I'm not sure who Kristen is. Randy's wife is Samantha.

**AngelsDestiny22 – **Thank you. I'm glad you like my current direction.

**Poll Result:**

**Randy – 11**

**The Rock – 5**

**Edge – 2**

**Jeff – 1**

**That only adds up to 19 votes, so there are seven of you that didn't vote. That's cool… just vote next time! **

**Rock on, everyone!**

**Danielle**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N Part 1:**__ Just to clarify, this is the "present" part of the story. Last chapter was a flash forward to October 2007, just after John's injury and subsequent surgery. The story is picking up a little under a week after She's a Rebel II ended._

_Sorry for the confusion._

* * *

_**Another false report?**_

_**Jessica McMahon**__ has been spotted, sporting a new ring on her left hand in the place of the platinum vine ring she received from boyfriend of just over a year, WWE Superstar __**John Cena**_. _Then again, the last time she rocked a ring… it wasn't the right rock._

* * *

_**Perez Exclusive: Jessica McMahon will soon be changing her last name…**_

_TO CENA!!_

_According to one of our sources close to the couple, __**Jessica's**__ boyfriend, WWE Superstar, and über-hottie, __**John Cena**__, proposed in the presence of their families at their West Newbury, Massachusetts home on Saturday._

_We're praying it's true this time!_

* * *

_**Spotted! A People Magazine Exclusive!**_

_WWE Diva and newly-platinum-selling recording artist, __**Jessica McMahon**_, _has been spotted in Boston wearing a tri-stoned diamond ring on a platinum band on the all-important ring finger._

_Are Jessica and __**John Cena**__ ready to finally tie the knot?!_

* * *

_**Ring the Bell **_

_World Wrestling Entertainment would like to congratulate the Executive Vice President of Legal Affairs and Media Relations, WWE Diva, Jessica McMahon, and WWE Superstar, John Cena, on their engagement._

* * *

_**It's Official!**_

_On the WWE's website, what has been speculated for days has been confirmed! __**John Cena**__ and __**Jessica McMahon**__ are engaged!! _

_The couple has been dating since June 2006. No date has been set at this time._

* * *

_**The new Posh and Becks!**_

_Perezzers is thrilled to confirm that WWE heartthrob/wrestler __**John Cena**__ has proposed to his girlfriend, the divalicious __**Jessica McMahon**__._

_Like we said at the beginning of the year, they are totally the new David and Victoria Beckham… but Jessica could totally kick Vicky B's ass if she had to._

_And dare we say… John looks better with his shirt off! Gasp! We did!_

* * *

"Hey, baby," John smiled as he approached his fiancée, who was currently reading at the breakfast table and planted a kiss on her cheek. "What are you up to?"

She shrugged and turned a page, "Just reading some magazines."

"Just some, huh?" he laughed at the stacks on the kitchen table and opened the fridge, pulling out a carton of orange juice.

"I just wanted to see what they said about us," Jessica continued to flip through her copy of Star. "We made five covers, you know."

John dropped himself into a chair across from her, "Only five?"

She shook her had as she moved onto In Touch Magazine, "You're impossible."

"But you love me."

"Not many other things you're right about in life."

John placed his glass of juice back on the table and reached across the surface, grasping her left hand, "Like this?"

Jessica admired her sparkling ring, "Yes, like this."

"Have you given it any thought?" he asked, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Given what any thought?" she looked at him in confusion.

"Uh…" he lifted up her hand and pushed it back towards her. "The wedding."

"We've been engaged a week…"

He smirked at her, his dimples showing, "Like that brain of yours hasn't been planning."

A smile twitched at the corner of her lips and her hazel eyes flickered downward, "Maybe."

"You want a wedding planner…" he sighed, dropping her hand to the table and running his own over his head. "Don't you?"

The young woman bit down on her lip and looked up at him, nodding, "Yeah."

"Okay…" he trailed off, rolling his neck around his shoulders. "Who is it?"

"Preston Bailey."

"Isn't that the guy who party plans for Oprah?" he arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his gray tee-shirt.

Jessica played with the hem of her black, studded AC/DC shirt, "Maybe."

"That seems to be the popular answer today… is that what you really want, Jess?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I've been thinking about it all week."

John exhaled deeply and straightened up in his chair, "Okay then. Make the call."

Her hazel eyes flickered gold as her face lit up, "Really?"

He nodded, grinning at the smile plastered on her face, "I only intend to get married once, Jessica… and it's to you. If you want Preston Bailey to plan our wedding, then Preston Bailey will plan our wedding."

* * *

A little over three hours later, Jessica had found the number of the famous party planner and placed a phone call.

After a brief discussion with his assistant, she was immediately given an appointment with Preston, who would luckily be in New York City the next week as Raw went live from East Rutherford, New Jersey, a short drive away.

Linda and Vince insisted upon sitting down with the couple to discuss the planning of the wedding before the actual meeting.

This was the exact reason that John and Jessica were currently sitting at a table in the middle of the East Rutherford Sheraton dining room, waiting for the McMahon patriarch and matriarch to arrive for Sunday brunch.

While engrossed in light conversation, Jessica's parents arrived. After a quick greeting and short order, they began to discuss the matter at hand.

"Jessica," Vince cleared his throat and placed his hand over Linda's at the table. "Your mother and I have discussed the issue at length and we're prepared to do for you what we did for your sister's wedding…"

"No," their daughter shook them off. "We appreciate your generosity. Honestly," her eyes darted from her mother and father to John and back again, "We do. But John and I talked about this and right now, we're in a very stable position financially. Between the two of us, we'd like to pay for the wedding."

For a moment, her parents sat in silence until her mother spoke up, "John, can I speak with you outside for a moment?"

"Um, sure…" he trailed off, dropping his napkin onto the table as he stood. "Is the lobby good?"

"Excellent," his future mother-in-law nodded and walked with him out of the restaurant.

After his wife had exited, Vince spoke first, "Jess, I know that you and John want to do this yourselves. And I know that you're more than capable of doing so. But as your father, I'm asking you to let me do this for you."

"Dad, I…" she attempted to protest.

"Jessica," Vince held up a hand. "For almost twelve years, I gave you nothing. There wasn't a single birthday party I threw you, a graduation celebration I arranged, let alone attended," he explained, toying with the napkin in his lap. "I owe you this."

The caramel blonde chewed on her bottom lip, "I won't let you."

* * *

"So," John exhaled as he took a seat on the plush leather love seat in the lobby, "You think he'll get her to let him do half?"

The blonde woman smiled knowingly and sat down on the couch, "Not likely at all. I'm guessing he offers her the reception hall and transportation, maybe flowers."

"You do know she won't take that," he chuckled lightly.

"Oh, absolutely."

* * *

"Fine," he nodded and folded his hands on top of the tablecloth. "I'll make you a deal…"

His daughter leaned in, "I'm listening."

He cracked a slight grin. Sometimes, she was just like his father, "Half."

"Transportation," she countered.

Vince shook his head, "Reception, hotel, brunch, and transportation."

"Reception head count only… and none of the extras."

"Reception head count and hotel… brunch falls in the category of the hotel," Vince explained, focusing intently on her.

Jessica rolled her eyes and agreed, "Deal."

* * *

John slid the keycard into the lock and waited for the light to turn green before opening the door. He trailed his fiancée into the room and then flopped onto the bed, face first.

"Baby," she laughed, setting her Betsy Johnson purse down on the table, "You can't possibly be that tired."

"Yes, I can," he mumbled into the blanket. "Talking to your father mentally exhausts me."

"Unfortunately, John," she sat down beside him and began to gently rake her fingernails over his scalp, "You're going to have to deal with my father a lot more once we're married."

John's face shifted and his dimples appeared.

"What?" her head tilted to the side.

"This is the first time you used the phrase 'once we're married,'" his head turned to face her, the smile still etched on his lips.

"Really?" she marveled. "Even after our whole conversation yesterday?"

He nodded in response, "You want to talk about the wedding some more?"

It was her turn to smile this time, "I think you're the one that wants to talk about it."

"Touché," he laughed, reaching up and pulling her down onto her back. "Do you have a date in mind?"

"I have a month in mind, if that counts."

"It does."

"How do you know?"

"I make the rules."

"Okay, _Rulemaker_," she chuckled and faced him on her side. "I think I want a June wedding."

"Why June?" John asked curiously, propping himself up on an elbow.

"I was thinking about it this morning while looking at the booking schedule," she began to explain, tossing aside a lock of blonde hair. "I don't want to get married in the winter and with 'The Marine' coming out in October, the fall isn't an option either."

"Why not May?"

"Too much is going on," she answered quickly. "Between the lack of spacing separating the pay-per-views and traveling schedules, it won't work out. And with our guest list including an immense amount of WWE employees, we'd be in trouble. The best date would be June 22nd, come to think of it. It's a Tuesday."

"Earth to Jessica," he waved a hand in front of her face.

Her eyebrow arched, "What are you going to do? Five Knuckle Shuffle me?"

He rolled his azure blue eyes, "No… I was going to say that Tuesday is a Smackdown taping."

"Not when Monday is a supershow," the blonde winked at him.

* * *

_The Rebel's Release – 7/30/08_

_Thank you guys for all of the congratulatory wishes you've sent me and John. It's nice to know that you support us off-screen as much as you support us on-screen._

_Right now, we're looking into reception halls in the New York area. If you've got suggestions, please let me know. The wedding will most likely take place in June, so please take that into consideration._

_I also want to personally thank each and every one of you who supported me on my road to recovery. It's great to be back._

_McMahon-Helmsley Era?_

_Psh… let the McMahon-Cena Era begin._

_- Jessica_

* * *

Jessica entered Continental Airlines Arena around 2pm in the afternoon for the creative team meeting and superstar warm-ups.

Not even five minutes after walking through the front door, after a pre-taped promo of hers aired the week before, she was mobbed by Divas.

Both Trish and Amy were hysterical at the news, embracing Jessica at first sight. The rest of the Divas were going back and forth on ideas for her bachelorette party.

Finally, she managed to break away from the awkward conversation and head over to the creative meeting.

Five minutes later, in a pair of denim capris and a navy tank top, Jessica entered the conference room.

"Nice of you to show," Stephanie scowled, still looking at her binder on the table as her sister sat down on her husband's right.

"The engagement news has spread like wildfire, so I've been completely bombarded with congratulatory wishes," Jessica shrugged and placed her own materials before her. "You remember how it was, Steph… oh, wait. I forgot… no one said anything to you and you went running to Daddy and threw a hissy fit."

The brunette immediately grew flustered, but when she opened her mouth, Vince cut her off, "Enough of this, girls. Let's get down to business."

With a satisfied smirk playing on her lips, the younger McMahon sister looked over at her brother-in-law, but didn't find the usual badly-concealed grin on his face.

Hiding her disappointment, she turned her attention back to the meeting.

* * *

Long after the meeting had ended, Jessica sat on a crate across the hall.

Only one person had yet to even acknowledge her engagement since it had happened… and he was not acting like his normal, joking self.

It was then that Jessica heard the door close and looked up at him, "Hey."

For a moment, he was silent, "Oh… hey, Jess."

"Are you okay?" she pushed off of the crate and walked towards him.

"Yeah, yeah," the taller wrestler nodded. "I'm fine."

"Paul," she folded her arms over her chest. "You would have been the first one to tell me 'So, I didn't want to say this in front of Cena last week, but my condolences on the engagement.' What's wrong with you?"

"I, uh…" her brother-in-law trailed off, fumbling entirely. "I've just been busy… new father and all. I've… I've gotta go, Jess."

As he turned to walk away, she reached for him and missed, "Paul, wait!"

But the former-champion ignored her call and soon disappeared down the hallway.

Her green-hazel eyes remained focused in on the end of the hallway, despite Paul's clear absence.

"What the hell is wrong with him?"

* * *

**A/N Part 2: There it is, chapter three! I think this one was a little more helpful and straight forward.**

**Plus, there was quite a bit more McCena fluffiness! And that's always good.**

**I went to Raw in East Rutherford on April 28****th****, but of course, there was no Cena. Seriously, what the hell? **

**Oh well, there's always the RAW taping on December 27****th****. Yay for that.**

**Once again, your review numbers astound me more and more. Great job, guys!**

**Shout-outs:**

**Laffy.x.Taffy – **I'm glad you like the chapter and thanks for the favorites add.

**Giftiebee – **You ARE in New Orleans.

**Inday – **A mission to find him? What do you mean by that.

**Fozzy-Floozy – **Oh, yeah. It's totally supposed to leave you confused. I hope the first note cleared it up though. And yes, Jessica is married in that scene.

**The.Black.Psycho.Barbie – **Yeah, you and your smartness. I told you it wasn't Randy. When? Well, you'll have to find out.

**Snap DDT – **Well, Cody isn't coming for a little while, Becky. You'll see him soon enough. Look at this, two updates in a night. What do you know…?

**Goddessofthenite – **Um… okay. Sluts, beware?

**Nychick4 – **One more tally for the Legend Killer.

**Purplefeather21 – **I hope I cleared it up for you. And you hope Jess gets together with Randy? Be prepared for a major egging from the other readers.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Yes, the surgery is the torn pec… and you'll see what happens. That's why this is called a story… and it has a plot. Gasp! Haha, love you!

**Lauren – **A 100 percent convinced, huh? And are you sure it isn't something that JESSICA said and not Dwayne? Just putting it out there.

**Westfan – **I love having that effect on people. You'll see exactly what Jess is doing a little later in the story. I'm not waiting until the end to tell you. Just a little while down the road.

**CandaceMcMahon – **Aww, poor girl! How'd you manage that? I'm so honored that you're using your messed up hand to review.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Yeah, I can totally commiserate with John on this one too. Hope you like this one!

**Lady Luv – **No problem. I just wanted to make sure I didn't typo or anything. Did the author's note clear it up for you?

**Dj-ssdd – **Aww, thank you! I want to see how much I can confuse you guys and keep you guessing. It's okay, I know I suck sometimes. But like you said, it makes it interesting, now doesn't it?

**Asher02 – **Thank you so much. I hope you liked this one too.

**MyTeddyBearsLilSis – **Thank you!

**Sideways anger – **At the rate I'm going, you're totally right! I might make it in four!

**Cena-holic8 – **Yeah, I tend to confuse people on purpose… OFTEN. I hope you like this one too.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **I was waiting for someone to say Chris Jericho. That is another good guess. Kudos on thinking outside the box. And you forget, Jessica HAS interacted with Jericho before. I'm glad I've got you hooked.

**AngelsDestiny22 – **Sometimes writing McCena, I stop and feel the need to go "Awwww" too. Haha.

**Jorrie – **Damn, you really think so? I'm honored.

**Minature-hero – **Well, if they don't wind up married, please don't kill me. I intend to write a sequel, you know. Part 4…

**StartingLine722 – **I don't know. What could?

**Sailormama – **No problem. I don't want to keep you guys so far out of the loop that the rest of the story makes ZERO sense whatsoever. That would kind of suck. I hope this one meets your expectations.

**Poll Result:**

**Randy – 20**

**The Rock – 6**

**Edge – 3**

**Jeff – 1**

**Chris Jericho – 1**

**It appears as though Randy Orton has a massive lead over the competition, but there is now a new entrant in Chris Jericho. **

**If at any time you'd like to change your vote, please list in your review that you are changing from one superstar to another and I will be glad to do so!**

**Rock on, rebels! Good luck on your AP tests, standardized tests, and finals! I feel your pain!**

**Danielle**


	4. Chapter 4

For Monday's live Raw, Vince and the rest of creative had decided to allow Jessica to take the evening off and allow John to participate in a very short match. In fact, his bout with Matt Striker ended in close to one minute after he slapped on the STFU, forcing him to almost immediately tap.

But that was yesterday.

Today was the big meeting with Preston Bailey in the city and Jessica was nervous as hell.

John, on the other hand, seemed to be handling it a lot better.

"Baby…" the twenty-nine year old placed a hand on his fiancée's thigh, covered by her white, flowing skirt, which was bouncing up and down at a rapid pace in the backseat of the New York City taxi.

Her head turned away from the window, "Hmm?"

"Jess," he pressed his hand down slightly on her leg. "Relax."

"Sorry," Jessica apologized with a nod and sighed as she fiddled with the hem of her green camisole. "I'm just a little bit nervous."

He laughed slightly, "Can you at least save it for the wedding?"

The young woman finally managed to crack a smile, "Okay."

A few minutes later, the cab pulled to a halt in front of a building on West 25th Street and John handed him money through the window after he and Jessica had exited the taxi.

The ascent of the elevator to the eleventh floor was rather quick and upon walking onto the floor, they quickly found Preston's office at the end of the hall.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a pair of wrestlers were seated in the Sheraton Hotel's restaurant eating lunch.

Aside from Jessica and John, they were the only two WWE employees left in the state, as everyone else had alright begun their drive to the next house show or Raw broadcast.

"Are you sure?" the man with his hair pulled into a ponytail asked his friend across the table as he scooped his mashed potatoes with his spoon.

His friend sighed, "Of course I'm sure."

"Like… how sure?"

"Shawn!" the man hissed at him, slightly miffed by his skepticism.

"Sorry, sorry," Shawn apologized, holding up his hands. "I was just checking."

The dark blonde across from his ran a hand through his hair, "It's hard for me to understand too."

His friend nodded and swallowed the water in his mouth, "How did this happen?"

"I don't know, Shawn. I didn't ask for this burden, you know."

"And I'm not saying you did, man…"

"This sucks, Shawn."

"I know, buddy," the devout Christian agreed with a sigh. "So… are you going to tell her?"

His eyes widened to saucers, "Are you out of your mind?"

"It was only a thought…" he trailed off guiltily and allowed his gaze to drift everywhere but his friend's face.

"Jesus Christ," the darker blonde mumbled, shaking his head, and took a long swig of his beer.

"Hey…" Shawn arched an eyebrow at him. "Just because your life is screwed up right now, does not mean you are allowed to take my savior's name in vain."

He rolled his eyes and nodded, "Alright, alright. You're right. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted…" a mischievous grin crept up his face. "On behalf of myself… and Jesus."

"You're nuts, man."

"Nut… Jesus freak," Shawn shrugged, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. "I'll just add it to my list of apparent names."

The slightly younger man laughed, "You always manage to cheer me up when I'm down, Shawn."

"Hey… it's what friends are for," he reminded him with a weak smile. "And as your friend, I think it's only fair that you let me know what your next move is."

"As soon as I figure it out, I'll let you know."

Shawn's voice dropped to a whisper, "I'm serious, Paul."

"So am I, Shawn," Paul retorted, placing his napkin beside his plate with a sigh. "Right now, all I can do is sit back and see how things play out… and hope they don't explode."

* * *

Entering the door, John and Jessica were greeted by the light scent of roses and a bubbly secretary.

"Good afternoon," the petite blonde with glasses welcomed them warmly. "You must be Mr. Cena and Ms. McMahon."

"Yes," Jessica smiled at the woman as John laced his fingers with hers. "That would be us."

"Excellent," the secretary returned the potential client's smile. "Mr. Bailey is expecting you. Please, follow me."

"Thank you," she replied with a nod and followed the young woman to the door.

Preston's secretary opened the maple door before them and gave them a clear view of his office.

The large room had crisp white walls and a cherry oak desk, neatly organized with papers in small stacks along the side. Lining the walls were a multitude of bookcases filled with different books and albums, most likely a continuous portfolio of his work.

In front of the desk was a plush, burgundy leather couch meant for two people.

Behind the desk were frames displaying all of the covers that his work was featured on, some of which featured him. Most importantly, behind the desk sat the man himself.

"Ms. McMahon, Mr. Cena," the man in his late forties with deep cocoa skin rose to his feet and walked around the desk, extending a hand first to Jessica. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you."

Jessica grinned at him, finally feeling her nerves wash away, and shook his hand, "Please, call me Jessica. It is very nice to finally meet you as well, Mr. Bailey."

"Preston," he winked at her and shook John's hand. "Mr. Cena."

"John," the Massachusetts native in a pair of jeans a while button down shirt shook him off. "Mr. Cena would be my father."

"Very true, John," Preston laughed and motioned to the chairs. "Please, take a seat."

The couple nodded and sat side by side on the couch, John's hand instinctively covering Jessica's.

"First off," he began, sitting down in his swivel chair and clasping his hands together on the desk, "I just want to say that I am honored that you'd consider me to plan your wedding."

"Believe me," Jessica chuckled. "We feel the same way. We're glad you'd be willing to plan it."

John nodded with a laugh of his own, "There is no consideration, in all honesty. You are our first and only choice to plan the wedding."

"Excellent," the famed planner smiled. "I guess we can get right down to business then. Did you have a date in mind?"

"Actually," Jessica looked to John and then back at Preston. "The best date for us, in terms of scheduling, is June 22, 2007. I know it's a Tuesday, but it'd work best for everyone."

"Okay," Preston opened his binder and began scribbling on a piece of paper. "And any idea of venue? Church or reception?"

"Neither of us are exceptionally religious," the blue-eyed man informed him. "We were contemplating the idea of having the ceremony and reception in the same place."

The man opposite them nodded, "It happens to be increasingly common, especially in larger-scale venues. Do you have one in mind?"

"None whatsoever," Jessica laughed. "But my sister had her wedding in this area and I'd like to do the same. I was thinking somewhere here, in New York. The majority of my family lives in Connecticut and his lives in Massachusetts."

"It really wouldn't be fair to either of them if we had the wedding in one place or the other," John concurred.

Preston agreed whole-heartedly, "You're absolutely right. You don't want to alienate either family. Do you want more of a metropolitan feel… like a city wedding? Or would you prefer something with more greenery and estate to it?"

The blonde turned to look at her fiancé, "What do you think?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a big city kid. I'd rather an estate wedding. How about you?"

"Neither Connecticut or Massachusetts made me feel like a city girl. I think I'd like an estate wedding too," she agreed with a nod. "Like I said, we really like the idea of a New York wedding."

"Well," Preston began, rising to his feet in his khaki slacks and white button down shirt and traveling to one of his bookcases. "There is a place I just planned a wedding for last month, in June," he added, pulling a slim booklet from the shelf and handing it to the couple. "It's called Oheka Castle."

"A castle?" John's eyebrows raised as Jessica opened the brochure.

"Yes, a castle," Bailey's face reflected amusement at the man's awe of the venue. "It was built in the early 1920's by a philanthropist. Now, it did change hands quite a few times before 1984, when the restoration began under Gary Melius. Thirty million dollars later, with the beautiful restoration over seventy percent complete, it functions as a reception hall and a hotel."

The bride-to-be flipped through the pages, "Preston, this place is gorgeous!"

A satisfied grin spread across his face and he pressed a button on his phone, "I knew that you'd like it."

"Yes, Mr. Bailey?" the receptionist's voice crackled over the speaker phone.

"Allison, call Gary Melius. Set up an appointment for Mr. Cena and Ms. McMahon to tour Oheka this week," he informed her. "Make sure to tell him that he might have a star-studded wedding on his hands."

"Yes, Mr. Bailey," Allison answered simply. "Right away."

"Thank you," Preston finished his conversation with the secretary and turned back towards the couple. "Well, that was step one. I want to discuss with you my favorite part of the entire process… the décor. Do you want to go with the traditional white motif? Or would you prefer a theme? Maybe a color scheme?"

Jessica chewed on her lip for a moment, then spoke up, "I want to go a little against the grain for this one. I don't want to do everything in white. I think that I want to do a romantic color scheme. Deep reds, crimson, scarlet. Colors like that."

"Oooh…" the planner smiled like a schoolboy and pulled another few books from the shelf. "Very rock and roll chic."

John couldn't help but laugh, "Anything but rap and we're okay."

Preston returned to his desk chair, "I'll make a note of that. Now, let me ask you a question before we proceed any further. I want to discuss with you something that is central to wedding planning. The budget."

"Yes," the young blonde concurred. "I want to discuss that, as well. By force, on his end, my father is paying for the headcount of the reception, as well as the hotel and brunch the next morning."

"Alright…" the dark-skinned man trailed off, writing in his binder yet again. "It will be convenient for him because it's all going to go to the same place if you decide on Oheka," he finished up his pen work and looked up at the pair. "And everything else is at your expense, correct?"

"Correct," John answered this time.

Preston placed his pen down on the desk and folded his hands together over his desk, "Did you have a maximum number in mind?"

Jessica opened her mouth to speak, but her fiancé spoke first, "There isn't one."

"John…" she turned to face him, her hazel eyes glinting gold.

"Jessica," he lowered his head to hers slightly, fixating his blue eyes on her. "There isn't one. This is your dream wedding, okay? I want it to be perfect for you. So whatever you want, you're going to get. No questions asked."

"Baby, it's too much…"

"No," John shook her off. "It'll never be enough."

* * *

_**Could I have had it any better? I mean, really… isn't this the type of fairytale that all girls hope for and dream of their entire lives?**_

_**It's okay. You can say it… John Cena was my Prince Charming, my white knight in shining armor… all of it.**_

_**I should have known that things were about to change when my brother-in-law, the person who had been the one I ran to for years in John's absence, and later Randy's, started acting strange.**_

_**God, if I had only known then what I know now… all of this pain and heartbreak could have been avoided.**_

_**Yeah, leave it to me to screw up the best thing I ever had…**_

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so this is a short chapter, but now, I am officially done with the large majority of my graduation requirements and therefore, have a lot more free time on my hands. Yay!!**

**In case you're a little confused, the bold AND italicized portion of the chapter is directly from Jessica's autobiography. So it's like her commentary on the events going on in her life.**

**You guys have been amazing with the voting. A lot of you have changed your votes in the last chapter or so. If you intend to do so again this chapter, PLEASE tell me who you previously voted for, as well to make my life easier. Here's where we stand right now.**

**Poll results:**

**Randy – 20**

**The Rock – 6**

**Triple H - 4**

**Edge – 3**

**Jeff – 1**

**Chris Jericho – 1**

**Once again, you guys have been awesome with reviewing, even though there were around ten less reviews for chapter three than chapter two. That's okay too… BUT my goal is to get to ****100 reviews**** this chapter, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. Even if you haven't before. It would mean soooo much to me.**

**Shout-outs:**

**Lauren – **I am entirely happy, thank you very much. And after this chapter, I think it's sufficient to say that it's not weird to be considering Paul at the moment.

**Snap DDT – **Someone's going to be making an appearance next chapter… I won't tell you who, but I think, telepathically, you know!

**Chain Gang Princess – **I can't believe I didn't get shocked for saying Cena was hotter than Beckham. And yeah, I'd love a McMahon-Cena era too.

**Fozzy-Floozy – **I'm glad you're not confused anymore.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **I'm glad to see you've calmed down since your last review, girl. You had me scared there for a little while. John is definitely just as excited as Jessica is about the wedding… for now.

**Asher02 – **Thank you. And you're right. Something is up with Paul. The question is… what?

**The.Black.Psycho.Barbie – **I'm glad your CST's are done. Did I say that? Cause honestly… things have a tendency to slip my mind.

**Sideways anger – **Ahhh… I love to keep people guessing. It lets me know I'm doing a good job.

**Goddessofthenight – **Way to fuel the fire, Julz. And by the way, in case you didn't notice, added scene from when you read it last night! So there!

**StartingLine722 – **I'm glad you liked this chapter. The clues are dropping on the mystery guy right and left, so pay attention. It should be resolved by Chapter 10. I just haven't decided which chapter it'll be in.

**Alexaaa2 – **I'm glad that you are enjoying this story. That is the greatest complaint I've ever gotten, lol. But now that as a senior, my graduation requirements are pretty much fulfilled, the updates will be much more frequent.

**Cena-holic8 – **I love McCena fluffiness too. This was some more fluffy-fluff stuff too.

**Sailormama – **Ah! I am doing my job if I'm getting you to question yourself! Excellent! Thank you for all of your amazing compliments and the adds. I greatly appreciate that!

**Lady Luv – **Anytime. I'm glad it's clear now.

**Wrestlenascargirl – **Yay! A new reader! I'm so happy! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Miniature-hero – **What, indeed.

**CandaceMcMahon – **Girl, I bowled with no ACL for three months. Suck it up! Just kidding, Candace. Your finger might have stayed in the ball a little longer than it should have, forcing it to curl around the weight of the ball and bruising the joint. You should be alright in a little while. If it's still really bad, splint it. In case you can't tell, I'm a bowling fanatic. I bowl like… four days a week competitively. In fact, I will be bowling in college. Rutgers, actually. Oh wait… I think there's a story going on here. Right… anyway. I love writing those magazine and internet articles. They're so much fun, in all honesty. It comes easy to me. Probably because I'm on People Online and Perez Hilton's site all week long. Eh… I like gossip. What girl doesn't?

**So readers, that's all for now. Please review… like I said… ONE HUNDRED awaits!**

**Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Be safe. Be smart. Don't drink and drive. Use protection.**

**And most importantly, as Jessica would say… and does say in her recently updated journal on my profile page, which you should totally check out… rock on, rebels!**

**Danielle**


	5. Chapter 5

"You know what I just realized?"

John's head remained buried under the pillow as fiancée pushed open the curtains, allowing the bright, morning sun to pour into the room, "That it's too early to burn my eyes out?"

Jessica laughed, "Oh, John, it's never too early for that. I was actually about to mention the fact that I haven't decided on bridesmaids yet."

"Bitch," he muttered quietly thinking she couldn't hear his insult.

She scowled and ripped the pillows off of his head, "Am I living up to my nickname?"

"You don't play fair!" he groaned into the sheet.

"You don't even _know_ how to play!"

"Baby," his picked his head up and looked at her near the door opposite the curtains. "I got game."

"Right…" she rolled her eyes at him. "Now let me as you a question. Before we got together, how drunk did you have to be to get laid?"

"Don't you mean…"

"Now," she shot him a hardened stare. "I meant what I said. I wanted to know how much it took to give you beer goggles."

"Bitch."

"And we're back where we started."

"Why?"

"You called me a bitch."

"But you never answered your _own_ question."

"You were supposed to answer."

"I thought it was rhetorical," he replied, his brow slightly furrowed at the current banter.

"I don't know if you're aware," Jessica arched her eyebrow at him, "But you _tend to be wrong most of the time._"

"Touché," he let out a deep chuckle, "Now, come 'ere."

"No," she crossed her arms in defiance over her chest. "You call me the b-word."

"How old are you? Five?" he rolled his eyes at her and rolled out of bed, walking towards her. "Don't make me carry you kicking and screaming."

Her eyes narrowed into slits as he approached her, "I'm serious, John."

John's blue eyes glinted mischievously as he scooped her up onto his shoulder, "So am I."

* * *

"Jessica, John," the familiar voice of Randy Orton greeted the pair as they walked into the hotel's restaurant. "I'm glad it took you an hour to figure out how to be on time the next occasion we meet for lunch."

John smirked as they took their seats at the table opposite their friend, "It was worth it."

"Ew," the green-eyed wrestler scoffed, pushing away his plate of food. "That's disgusting."

"Oh, what?" the youngest McMahon sibling shot him a look as her cheeks reddened. "Like you've never done it before?"

"No," Randy replied defensively. "I just don't talk about it."

Both West Newbury natives turned to face each other… and promptly burst out laughing.

* * *

_Hey, girl. I need to talk to you. Meet me in the trainer's room at four. XOXO Trish._

* * *

The text message from the Canadian had come a little over two hours ago and Jessica was now cooling her heels in the small room.

She wondered if something was wrong… with her or her fiancé, Ron. Was everything going okay? Was she having second thoughts?

Perhaps it wasn't any of those possible scenarios.

Maybe it was something much worse.

And just as her mind began to run dark, the door suddenly opened.

"Hey," an airy voice greeted her as a buxom blonde entered the room. "Sorry I'm late, Ron called."

"It's okay," the caramel blonde nodded with a slight smile. "How is he?"

"Good," Trish beamed. "He can't wait for the wedding in September. For that matter, I can't either."

"Speaking of which," Jessica interjected, hopping out of her chair, "I need to ask you something. I wanted to know if you'd be one of my bridesmaids."

The smile slowly grew wider, "Jess… of course I will. Thank you," she embraced her friend and then pulled back, "It makes me wish that I had happier news."

Jessica froze in her place, "What are you talking about?"

"I, uh…" Trish began to pick at her fingernails. "I'm taking some time off, Jess."

"Oh," her younger friend breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, after the wedding, of course. You deserve time to be newlyweds."

"No, Jess…" Trish bit her lip and looked up at Jessica. "In September, I'm retiring. It's over."

"Over?" the younger woman echoed in disbelief. "Why?"

The Canadian rose to her feet and smoothed down her jeans, "It's just time, Jess."

Tears began to well up in Jessica's eyes, "To leave? I thought you were happy here."

"I am!" she exclaimed to assure her friend. "And it's been great here, but it's time for me to move on, spend some time with my husband, start my marriage off on the right foot. I've been on the road for so long, Jessica. I've neglected him for too long."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Trish shrugged, leaning against the exam table. "Some health and fitness work, maybe a book. I've seen plenty in my seven years here. Six titles, countless memorable moments. My life would make a good book… yours would too, you know."

* * *

_**Two years later, when I first sat down to start this book, Trish was my first thought. After all, she was the first one to suggest I write, even if it wasn't a serious notion.**_

_**For the longest time, Trish was number one, as was Amy. And they both left. I began to wonder whether I wanted to be number one anymore. Did I really want to get to the point where I wanted to leave and do something else? Would it even happen?**_

_**But I suppose, looking back on it all, it was the price I had to pay, my relationship, part of my heart, friendships. Although, I can't say my "love triangle" made it any easier.**_

_**I can't tell you that I ever thought I'd lose both of my best friends in the company within a three month span. Hell, losing Trish was hard enough… but Amy was the first person to really reach out to me and not view me as the spoiled daughter of Vince McMahon. **_

_**I can tell you, however, that I wasn't ready to step up and be number one. I felt like I was filling a position that wasn't meant to be filled. I felt like being the premier woman in the company wasn't right. And maybe, standing in that ring with the belt, I did feel like the champ for a little while, but in my heart, I knew I was in their shadow.**_

_**Sure, I've made plenty of money as a wrestler, as an Executive Vice President, but nothing compares to hearing my name out there, in arenas from the east coast and Madison Square Garden to the west coast and the Staples Center.**_

_**Deep down, I still feel like the little girl from West Newbury, Massachusetts. That town is a part of me that's never gone away and I pride myself on that. I'm not a big shot, I'm just me.**_

_**I've sacrificed a lot to get here, but you already know that. I've missed birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, little things that I shouldn't have. But I did. And there's no going back when you've done things like that.**_

_**But you have to put a hundred percent of what you've got… and then another fifty percent on top of that. You get what you give in, my friends, and people get what they deserve, whether you know it or not. They really do.**_

_**I know that there will come a point in time in which I've got to hang up the wrestling boots, and I have nothing against Trish and Amy, I love them both, but I'll never go out that way. I'll never walk away from this business. It's in my blood, it's in my heart, it's in my soul.**_

_**All you need to know is that when everything is said and done, I want to be the greatest anyone ever saw… and the greatest that anyone ever will see.**_

* * *

Jessica sunk down onto Amy's hotel room bed, tears once again stinging her eyes, "Not you too, Ames. Not you too."

The redhead nodded sadly, "November."

She flopped backwards, staring up at the ceiling, "Why do you have to go, Amy? What is so great out there that you're willing to leave us behind, leave _me_ behind."

"Girl," Amy put a hand on her friend's leg, "You know that I'm not leaving you behind. You're three years behind me in age and much more ahead of me in talent and skill. Jess… I'll always be there for you. You're one of my best friends. But I can't live in this world anymore… a world where my personal life was exploited for entertainment and I live every single day with the consequences."

"I'll try again. I'll try to change the storylines, I swear," she sat upright, looking her friend dead in the eye as she tried to fight a losing battle.

"You did try, Jess. I know you did, but you can't force anything on your sister and in the end, she and your dad have the final say," her friend sighed heavily. "And I don't want you to think that my decision has been made because you didn't try hard enough. I found myself a new guy… and I want to be a regular woman, with a regular relationship for a change."

Jessica managed a small smile, "Yeah, just your run-of-the-mill Rock Goddess who is dating the lead guitarist."

"Well," Amy let out a slight laugh, "You and I _both_ know I always liked long-haired guys."

* * *

_**You'd figure that life couldn't throw me for anymore loops at this point, right?**_

_**Well, we'd both be wrong. In fact, I WAS wrong. And I had to live with the fallout.**_

_**If only I'd been looking where I was going…**_

* * *

After leaving Amy's hotel room, Jessica's head was in a completely different zip code, one she couldn't even be sure of.

Rounding the corner, she wasn't even paying attention as to where she was going, causing her to slam into a much taller, harder body and fall to the floor.

Rubbing her arm where it slammed against the ground, Jessica's hazel eyes darted upwards at her colliding point.

"Paul?" the words barely escaped her lips.

Taking notice of her, he quickly shuffled off towards the elevators, but Jessica got to her feet and chased after him.

Just as the doors were closing, she squeezed in and the gold-tinted metal shut behind her.

Her hand reached out for the floor panel and her index finger pressed down on the stop button, sending the rocketing box to a complete halt, "Care to explain why the hell you've been avoiding me, Paul?"

Her brother-in-law refused to budge, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Let's see…" she trailed off, tilting her head as if she was looking into a thought bubble. "You've barely even acknowledged my existence since John and I got engaged. You won't talk to me at meetings, you don't laugh at my Stephanie jokes that used to send you into hysterics, and today, you bowl me over in a hallway and run off like you saw a ghost!"

Paul sighed and ran a hand over his blonde ponytail, "It's been a rough week with the…"

"I know! I know!" Jessica threw her hands up in the air. "Aurora, this. The baby, that. Being a parent is rough… but I know for a fact that she is now sleeping through the night, Paul. And quite frankly, this bullshit needs to stop. I want to know what's going on. And I want to know NOW."

"Now is not the time, nor the place, Jessica…" he shook his head and reached for the button to restart motion, but she covered it with her own hand first.

"Well, unless you've got a better idea, Paul," the blonde folded her toned arms over her chest, "We're not going anywhere."

The Connecticut-native studied his sister-in-law intently and finally relented, "Fine. I can't discuss this with you tonight, I have a bunch of things I have to do. However, tomorrow, two pm… come to my room. Stephanie won't be on the road with me, so we can talk in private."

Jessica smirked, finally getting what she wanted, and pushed the button to restart the elevator, "Deal."

Silently, they reached the bottom floor of the hotel and parted in the lobby.

Paul watched as Jessica turned around the corner, her blonde hair trailing behind her, and then reached for his cellular phone. Instinctively, his fingers dialed the familiar numbers.

And after three rings, the line was picked up, "Hey, it's me. Listen, I can't hide this from her any longer. She knows something is up… I have to tell her. I know. I know. Just… find the first flight you can get to here. Something tells me that she's going to want to speak to you face to face."

* * *

**A/N: Well, the mystery continues. But now it's official, by the end of Chapter 6, one of your guesses will be knocked out of the running and by the end of Chapter 7, the mystery superstar will be revealed. **

**It's official: What's up with Paul WILL BE REVEALED NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Excited? Me too.**

**Current Poll Results:**

**Randy – 18**

**Triple H – 7**

**The Rock - 6**

**Edge – 3**

**Jeff – 1**

**Chris Jericho – 1**

**Hmm... looks like HHH has taken a bit of a jump in the polls. Well, we shall see everyone.**

**And while we didn't get to one-hundred reviews, I hope this chapter was enough to get to the milestone so I can average at least twenty reviews per chapter. I'll be the fastest I've ever reached that number before!**

**Shout-outs:**

**Purplefeather21 – **It might sound bad for Jess, but in the prologue of her autobiography and in her commentary in this chapter, you get the impression that she's going to be alright. And she will be… in time.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **No, it never is stress-free. Planning my own Sweet Sixteen was incredibly stressful on its own! And yeah, something IS up with Paul. You'll find out just what it is next chapter. And I have a fear of tornadoes. Like… I have at least four nightmares about them each month. I swear.

**StarSixtyNine – **Some people do get laid on Memorial Day. As evidenced by the fact that babies ARE born every day of the year, so obviously, a multitude of people get wasted. Moving on… it's not sad that you're plotting to steal a grown man from a fictional character. If you act on it, then I might have to call the looney bin. I'm just saying…

**StartingLine722 – **You can say it's Paul. I promise, you're not the only one. And sometimes, I put in little, simple details that get overanalyzed. It's all part of my game.

**Sailormama – **Hell yeah, long time no read! I'd NEVER abandon this story. It's my baby. This whole series is my baby. Although, I don't know what I'm going to do at the end. Probably cry. Who knows? But that's not for a while anyway.

**Beckyy – **Thank you, girl. I am always impressed when people read all three of these stories. It shows true dedication. And THANK YOU for such an amazing compliment. I hope this update has somewhat satisfied your curiosity. I know the next one definitely will.

**Simply Priceless – **Alright, so Cody wasn't in this one, as I told you he would be. HOWEVER, I believe he will be in the next chapter. I had major song inspiration in the middle of English class the other day when I had a substitute who let me listen to my iPod. Speaking of inspiration, I DO think that tomorrow will give me quite a bit. So look for Only One either tomorrow night or Wednesday. Tuesday, I'm going out to Shea Stadium to chill with David. Lol.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Do you, now? Hmm… and yeah. Cena is the cutest.

**CandaceMcMahon – **It was very painful, but I have a high pain threshold. I too like Star Magazine because many times, they happen to be right. The others, I'm not big on. As far as the story goes, you certainly are NOT the first to change a vote to Paul. In fact… it seems to be more and more common lately. Hmm.

**Cena-holic8 – **I'm glad you liked the update. And that you're confused. That's the best part. Just kidding. Maybe.

**Dj-ssdd – **It's okay that you missed the last one. I had prom last week… and the yearbook, which I'm editor of, came out this week… so yeah. Thanks for the compliments on the story. Another changed vote to Paul.

**2 Die is 2 Live – **Finally! I get to address you in a review! I happen to love McCena too. But sometimes, good things must come to an end. At least, that's what SOMEONE thinks. Another two chapters, and you'll find out who.

**Westfan – **You didn't get a shout-out? David will have to give me a stern talking to for that one. Speaking of which, when Raw rolls into MSG in August, come to NYC. We'll all go out to lunch. Or dinner. Or whatever is most convenient. Possibly breakfast. Who knows? As for Paul, you'll find out in a chapter or two.

**So that's it for now. Read… and review. And hell, if you're bored… review again!**

**Haha. Rock on, everyone!**

**Danielle**


	6. Chapter 6

Today was the day she'd been agonizing over for the past eighteen hours, not catching a single moment of sleep, prompting her fiancé to seek out the company trainer.

But sick wasn't really the term that could describe the conflicted Jessica McMahon at the moment.

Physically sick? No.

Emotionally sick? Maybe.

In a little over an hour, she'd be meeting up with her brother-in-law, the unusually enigmatic Paul Levesque. And that prospect wasn't thrilling her at the moment, despite what she had originally thought.

Right now, what Jessica McMahon desperately needed was a distraction. In fact, she'd probably kill for one.

And when her phone began to vibrate off of the nightstand in her and John's hotel room, she silently wondered who was now the only name on her hit list.

After glancing at the screen, only to find an unfamiliar number, she placed the cell phone against her ear, "Hello?"

"Jessica?" a young, male voice responded.

"This is she," the youngest McMahon replied warily, tensing up slightly. "Who is this?"

"Oh, right…" the voice mumbled. "It's Cody… Cody Runnels."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, "Jesus Christ, Runnels. You scared me for a minute. I thought you were a crazy, psycho-stalker and that's just about the _last_ thing I need today…"

Cody chuckled on the other end of the line, "It's that bad, huh? Sorry to scare you."

"Really," she assured him, flopping down on the neatly-made bed in the relatively empty room. "It's fine. How did you get my number, anyway?"

"My father called your father," he explained briefly.

"How very… grade school of you."

"Thanks," Cody laughed. "It wasn't my idea though. He just handed it to me the other day… 'in case you have any questions, son,'" he added in his best Dusty voice, which Jessica found incredibly humorous.

"That was actually REALLY good, Runnels," she marveled, shaking her head at the young man's comment.

He scoffed, "You try hearing that man's voice every day of your life and THEN let's see how your impression is of him…"

Jessica winced, "Let's not."

"I bet your do a great impression of your own mother."

"We sound somewhat alike."

"And an even better one of your sister."

The younger sister fought the urge to explode in hysterics, "I wouldn't wish hearing her voice on anyone. Pregnancy mellowed her, if anything… and we're all about screwed now that she's popped out Aurora."

The rumble of Cody's laugh graced her ears, "How very candid of you, Jessica."

There was a momentary pause on her end.

"Did you just call me Candice?"

"I…no," he stuttered in reply. "I said you were candid."

"Oh," she shrugged. "It must be the reception in the hotel. Apparently, it's terrible."

"I believe we've confirmed that," the younger wrestler replied jokingly.

"Well, since I'm sure you didn't call to make fun of me…" Jessica cleared her throat and stood up from the bed, walking over to the curtains to look out the window. "What's up, Runnels?"

"Ah, yes…" he trailed off, noticeably trying to fumble for words. "Well, see… there's this thing coming up in OVW. My dad has been trying to set it up. He wants to have three male wrestlers, three Divas."

"And let me guess…" Jessica cut him off with a sigh. "You want me to be one of the Divas?"

"Let me explain it first, before you make up your mind, okay?" he plead with her and she could just picture him making puppy eyes at no one in particular.

Suddenly, the image was just too much to say no to, even though he wasn't even there, "Alright. What does this entail?"

Cody breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay. So… three eras of wrestlers. Two from the old school… Dad got Moolah and Kowalski to come down. Two from the more recent past, but who are still retired… we've got Nora so far. Apparently, there are a few strings Dad's pulling for the guy, but we'll have to wait and see. And well, good old Pops left this part to me."

A knowing smile crossed her face, "Dusty."

"Huh?"

"Just like your dad, Runnels. As long as I've known him…"

"So you'll do it…?"

Jessica breathed deeply and exhaled the stored breath, "Yeah. I'll do it… and you know what? I'm gonna bring someone along with me."

"Really?" Cody asked excitedly and she suddenly remembered him as a little boy, equally as anxious. "Who?"

She smirked to herself, "Randy Orton."

"You're gonna bring Randy?"

"Yep," Jessica nodded with a grin, despite the fact he couldn't see it. "I mean, he's gonna kill me for this, but I'll call it an executive decision. He's in St. Louis for the next few days… so he's not around to make the decision. It'll be… boss's orders, okay?"

"Jess?"

"Runnels?"

"I'm just going to let you know right now that I fully intend to be in the WWE… so I have a feeling this is going to be the first of many times I say this to you in my life."

"Say what, kid?" her head tilted to the side.

"I love you."

She burst out into amused laughter, "Thanks, Runnels. Don't break all of the girls' hearts this early. At least wait until you get here."

"Will do," he agreed with a laugh of his own.

It was then that Jessica glanced at the clock.

_1:50pm._

"Shit," she mumbled. "Runnels, I have to go. I'll call you for the information later. Take care."

And with that she hung up the phone… and began the march that might as well have been to funeral music.

* * *

The elevator ride to her sister's floor was painstakingly slow. In fact, Jessica McMahon could have sworn that this ride had taken longer than the one she and Paul had taken the previous evening, which had included a slight stop on the route.

The halls were eerily quiet, the silence ringing in her eardrums. This wasn't the way she wanted it to be.

Then again, what did she really expect?

Did she expect Randy Orton and Adam Copeland to be tossing a football around in the corridor? Divas running up and down the hall to each other's rooms like sorority sisters?

Maybe not, but it would have been more comforting a sight than this deserted feeling.

Obviously, Paul had chosen this time to talk because no one would be around and his wife would be out with their daughter. And if the explanation he was about to give her for his awkward-at-best behavior was as big as she thought it was, he had every reason to want Jessica as far away from every other human being in the hotel as possible.

With every ounce of courage she had in her body, Jessica reached up and knocked on the door. Moments later, it opened.

"Come in," Paul instructed her from the other side, turning around and walking back into the room.

Following his out-of-character behavior, he didn't even greet her at the doorway. Instead, he left her to follow.

The blonde trailed him into the room, gently clicking the door closed behind her.

"Sit," he ordered her again, causing the head-strong twenty-eight year old to intentionally crack her neck.

After biting her tongue for a few minutes, she lashed out, "Don't talk down to me like I'm some sort of child. We wouldn't be here if you could be a normal human being to me."

He snorted, slicking his hair back into a ponytail and tying it with an elastic band, "If I was a normal human being, Jessica, I wouldn't have been protecting you this long."

"Protecting me?" his sister-in-law arched an eyebrow at him, crossing her toned arms over the chest of her black Nirvana tee-shirt. "How does acting like a complete and total asshole after you're included in one of the most special and important days of my entire life qualify as protecting me?"

The wrestler opened his mouth to speak and then hesitated.

Jessica smirked, "That wasn't much of an answer."

"Okay, Jessica," Paul rolled his head around on his hulking shoulders. "You want an answer?"

"Yeah, I do," she replied firmly, losing her patience.

He laughed incredulously, "You have no idea what you're getting into here, McMahon. There is a reason I've been acting like this… it's because I've been hiding something from you. And I'm telling you right now, whatever I'm hiding… you don't want to know. It'll change everything, Jessica. Everything you know will be tainted by it."

She chewed on her cheek, "I. Don't. Care."

Paul shook his head in sheer amazement, combined with a hint of frustration, "You are exactly like you're sister sometimes."

"Jesus Christ, Paul!" Jessica exploded into a fit of rage, running her hands over her face. "Stopping dancing around the truth like a fucking ballerina and tell me already!"

"There's someone else!" he yelled back at her, finally releasing the secret from his brain.

"What do you mean 'there's someone else?'"

Paul composed himself for a moment, then spoke again, "There's someone else that's in love with you… besides John."

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Jessica McMahon was absolutely speechless.

The muscular man looked her over concernedly, "Jess?"

Her hazel eyes remained glued to the floor, "Does he know?"

Paul was confused, "Know what?"

Jessica's gaze returned to her sister's husband, "Know that you are telling me."

He opened his mouth to speak, but was halted by a knock at the door.

Inclined to answer, he moved for the door, but Jessica stopped him and answered the door herself.

Pulling at the brass knob, she found Shawn on the other side of the door.

"Oh crap," Shawn stated quietly, but soon realized it was loud enough for her to hear. "I mean… HEY, JESS!"

The younger wrestler rolled her eyes, "Now is not the time, Shawn."

"Yeah, I can see that…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. "Tell Paul I…"

"Sure," she cut him off and shut the door, turning back to look at Paul. "You were saying…?"

But once again, just as he was ready to answer, the hotel phone rang.

And knowing that the charging Jessica would most likely pick it up, then hang it right back down, he grabbed it first, "Hello?"

"Hi, Sweetie," the female voice cooed over the phone. "How are you doing?"

"Hey, Steph," Paul shut his eyes lightly. "I'm good. Just grabbed myself some lunch. How's Aurora?"

"Good. Good… I found this great place to have dinner tonight. Should I make a reservation?" she inquired.

"Um…" Paul trailed off, his eyes flickering towards Jessica, motioning across the room to hurry up the conversation. "That might be a good idea. I have to hop in the shower now, but I'll see you in a little while, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Paul!"

"Bye, Steph," he answered, never taking his eyes off of his sister-in-law as he hung up the phone.

Her gaze hardened, "Does he know?"

Paul sighed and nodded, "He's on his way."

Jessica closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, "How long have you known?"

"A couple of months…" he replied honestly. "I wanted to tell you, Jess. I really did. But I didn't want anything to come between you and John… just because I couldn't keep my mouth shut."

"It's a little late for that," she mused, tilting her head to the side. "But I needed to know."

"You did," he agreed with a sigh of his own, sitting down on the large bed.

"So…" she chewed on her lower lip. "When is he going to be here?"

"I'm not sure," Paul replied rather honestly. "All I said was that I couldn't hide this from you anymore… and that he should get here as soon as possible to do all of the explaining that I can't."

Jessica nodded silently and ran a hand over her mouth.

Of all the things she had expected to hear from Paul, this certainly wasn't one of them.

Right now, she was perfectly content with the idea of being the future Mrs. John Cena. In fact, wedding planning with Preston had given her more joy than she could have ever imagined it would.

And now, someone might want to take that away from her…

Or rather, take her away from John.

"Paul," the caramel blonde quietly addressed her good friend as she sat down beside him. "Who is it?"

"I…" he began to speak, once again getting interrupted by a knock on the door.

With a huff, Jessica shot up from the bed and rocketed towards the door, pulling open the door "Seriously, Shawn! I told you, now isn't the..."

But as her hazel eyes fell upon the man on the other side of the doorway, her words caught in her throat.

He smiled down at her, "Hey, Jess."

"Oh my God," her hand clapped to her mouth, but soon fell away as she continued to stare up at him. "It's you."

* * *

**A/N: So now you know it's NOT Paul. BUT Paul was hiding the fact that he knew what was going on from Jessica.**

**Now, normally, at this point, I'd be talking about the poll at the moment. Since we knocked off a huge chunk of votes with Triple H being knocked out of the running, I think it's only fair that I include a poll in my profile. Please go and vote in that poll… and I will post the official results of the poll (after EVERYONE votes before the next chapter) at the beginning of chapter 7.**

**Now, I SWEAR TO YOU… on my love for the New York Mets and John Cena, which is an immense love the likes of which you could never imagine, just ask my friend… Chapter 7 is the big reveal.**

**It could be Randy, who is definitely not in town.**

**Or Jericho, who has left wrestling.**

**Or the Rock, who has been absent for a while.**

**Or Adam, who isn't in town for Raw yet AND will soon be moving to Smackdown.**

**Or Jeff Hardy, who has yet to make his return and is poised to do so at this point in time.**

**Or Batista, who has recently left his wife and is on another show.**

**So many choices!**

**I expect MUCHO reviews for this chapter. You guys did a great job on the last one! **

**We hit ONE-HUNDRED!**

**What a jump… 14 to 21! Let's jump even more. The more review, the faster I write…**

**Especially now that I am officially a high school graduate!**

**Oh… and speaking of new and exciting things… if any of you are New York Mets fans out there… please check out my new, uber-cool website The-Wright-Stuff(dot)com! It's sick! I've worked majorly hard on it. All about David Wright with game/news updates.**

**SO, after that shameless plug…**

**Shout-outs:**

**Purplefeather21 – **Please don't die of suspense. I'd feel INCREDIBLY guilty. Now that Paul's reason was revealed, what do you think? And yeah, as much of a jackass as Randy _can_ be, as he has his moments just like everyone else does, I picture him as egotistical, but with a good heart deep down. And as for the man on the other side of the door… well, you'll just have to wait and see.

**Sideways anger – **Were you shocked? I hope so. Now the real shocker is on the other side of the door…

**Chain Gang Princess – **I know it took forever, but finals and graduation… you know. I hope you liked it thought.

**Westfan – **So, I'm totally talking to you as I update, but it's all good. And I'm sure, as long as his schedule permits, he'd love to, as well. Just pick a day and I'll look on my calendar. Even if he has a game, he says he'd be up for hanging out after if you guys come for the game. We'll get you on the field, no worries. I'll call the front office. And as for the story, you were clearly right that it wasn't Paul. The question is now who do you think it is?

**Cena-holic8 – **I love when I confuse you guys! It means I'm doing my job. Next chapter begins the process of unconfusing, so you have something to majorly look forward to.

**Sailormama – **Now I will be updating a lot more frequently because of the mere fact that I have so much more time on my hands now that I'm out of school. If you look back to last year, for the beginning of SAR II and even the tail end of SAR I, I was really speedy with those updates. And by the way… I hope you didn't scream too loud. ;-)

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **One more chapter and it will be officially revealed. She does have a lot on her plate, but it won't crash… for now.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Nope, it's not Paul. But clearly, it is someone that he knows. And if you recall, during the time in SAR II when Smackdown was in town, she went to visit during her recovery time and hung out with Dave for a while. Plus, John and Dave talk often.

**Lady Luv – **We'll see if your guess of Randy is right next chapter. I think you're asking yourself once again how I could end right there. And the answer is… because I can. Hehe.

**Goddessofthenight – **Well, thanks for the review, JULIA. And yeah, she'll be okay… eventually.

**Queen Chaos-Hardy – **Haha. I won't kill you… yet, lol. Thank you, girl. Love you too!

**Brittany (aka Giftiebee) – **Hey, girl! I was wondering what the hell happened to you. I hope you do get the notice this time!

**StarSixtyNine – **Jessica's kind of depressed they left too. And I think Paul's head is officially out of his ass, thank you. And another cliffhanger… I'm sure you love me for that

**2 Live is 2 Die – **You shall know soon enough, lol. It's not Paul, but you're right that it's someone Paul knows very well. Unfortunately, all of your choices in the poll are people he knows very well and for a long time. Sorry for that. And yeah, I envy the love McCena has, as well… even though I created it.

**Xtobelovedx – **Did this meet your expectations?

**CandaceMcMahon – **It's okee dokes. I forget mine on occasion too. I hope that you're okay and things aren't nearly as difficult. You know, I was contemplating another autobio insert here, but decided against it.

**StartingLine722 – **I promise, next time, I will hurry a lot more. Yay for school ending!

**Sambolina – **Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you enjoy this series.

**Dj-ssdd – **Thank you! Unfortunately, you have to change your vote. And the poll is the perfect opportunity… wink wink.

**PreciousKat – **Awww. Thank you! I am honored by your compliment! No apologies necessary, girl. I'm just glad you found your voice!

**So that's it for now, folks. Check out Jessica's blog, as usual, vote in the poll, and read and review!**

**Rock on, homies!**

**Danielle**


	7. Chapter 7

Before you started to read, I just wanted to give you a little insight as to what everyone had voted.

And before you decide to read the results, I URGE YOU NOT to scroll down until they show up.

I want to give you the results before the "man behind the door" is revealed.

But before I do, I also wanted to thank each and every one of you for sticking with this story through each and every little twist and turn. I assure you, this is probably one of the biggest twists that I've ever written in a story and there will be many turns before it is over.

After reading this chapter, I ask that everyone vote in the new poll: Who do you want Jessica to choose?

The turnout for this poll was good, but I want the turnout for the next one to be even better!

Here are your results…

Randy Orton – 40

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson – 25

Jeff Hardy – 15

Adam "Edge" Copeland – 10

Dave Batista – 10

Chris Jericho – 10

Without further adieu, here is the big reveal.

Enjoy.

* * *

"Before you say anything, let me explain…"

"What is there to explain? How you're leaving your wife for an engaged woman? Or how she just so happens to be me?" the blonde asked, her hands finding her hips in frustration.

The much-taller man ran a hand over his short hair. "I know, right now, I seem like an absolute bastard, Jessica. And I don't blame you one bit for thinking that in the slightest."

Jessica shook her head. "I'm glad that I don't have to feel guilty for that anymore."

He closed his eyes as though he'd just been burned. Because the truth was… he just had.

"I'm not asking for you to understand why I made the decision to tell you… or why I agreed with Paul that it was time to tell you. I'm just asking for the chance to explain, Jess," he sighed, closing the door behind him. "After all we've been through, you can't deny me that."

Jessica chewed on her bottom lip. She knew that he was right.

"All right, Dwayne." She glanced over at the clock near Paul's bed. "You've got five minutes. Paul?"

The light-haired man nodded and took his quick exit from the room. Even he didn't want to be around for this one.

She looked at the clock and then back at him again. "It's 4:55 now. You're wasting precious time, Dwayne."

The half-Samoan nodded and looked down at her with dark brown eyes. "You and me, we've got a lot of history together… it's undeniable. You've been there for me through everything, Jess. I guess… somewhere along the way, you began to mean a lot more to me than I ever realized, but because I had been with Dany since I was nineteen years old, I never understood why my day was a little brighter when you walked in the room…" he trailed off, walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it. "And I watch you with Simone and you're the most unbelievable godmother Dany or I could have ever asked for."

She eyed him suspiciously. "How in the hell does that translate into I'm leaving my wife for you?"

"There was always a little piece of me that was in love with you, Jess," he explained, looking up at her now. "And subconsciously, I always pushed it aside, but long after Dany and I started going through problems, you came to visit us in Miami and I'd seen you for the first time in years. It was during that lunch that I was hit with the realization. Originally, years ago, we'd planned to do the whole 'stay together for the kid' thing."

Jessica nodded slowly. "And then I came along… and shot it all to hell."

"I wouldn't put it like that, exactly," he chuckled half-heartedly. "I think around the time that Simone started asking why I was falling asleep in Mommy's room and waking up on the couch downstairs and why she didn't have another sibling like all of her friends that it was shot to hell."

"I see… so I was the accelerator?"

"Since you're dying to label yourself as something, I guess you could call yourself that."

Her tone quickly grew bitter, "You have no right to mock me. You come to where I work, just weeks after I've gotten engaged, as I'm planning a wedding… to tell me you're in love with me… and now you have the _audacity_ to criticize my position on the subject?"

"Jess, I didn't mean…"

"Yes," the youngest McMahon sibling retorted, "You did."

"Look," he stood up and placed his hands into his pockets, "I didn't come all of this way to get you angry with me. If anything, I was going for the opposite. I didn't want to offend you by not congratulating you on your engagement, so I sent you flowers."

"Which were lovely, by the way."

"I'll ignore that sarcastic comment for now… because you don't even realize why I did it."

"Because you were congratulating me on my engagement to the man you knew I'd been in love with for years?"

Dwayne shook his head incredulously, "Because sending you those flowers was a hell of a lot easier than looking you in the eye and congratulating you on the start of a future with someone other than me."

"Dwayne," her tone softened for the first time all day, "I'm flattered that you care about me this much. I really am, but I love John, more than anything. It's taken us years to find each other and if it hadn't been for some of the things you've taught me over the years, I never would have been able to put all of the bullshit aside and make it work."

"That's the last thing I wanted to hear," he admitted dejectedly.

"I know," she nodded and placed a hand lightly on his arm. "But you need to hear it. I lost years that I could have spent happily with John, years that my grandmother could have seen before she died. And there are nights that I lie awake wondering if she can see us now, happy again. And as much as I care for you, as one of my best friends…" Jessica shook her head and her hazel eyes glanced downwards. "I'm not going to give that up again for a shot at something I don't feel anymore."

Her hazel eyes flickered upwards as the words passed through her lips, noticing that his chocolate brown eyes had impossibly darkened.

"I… I have to go," she pulled her hand away, as though she'd been burned by hot coals. "I promised John I'd meet him for an early dinner tonight and clearly, I'm going to be later for that."

"Right," Dwayne pressed his lips together bitterly. "Cena…"

Jessica collected her bag and balanced it on her forearm, making her way to the door. Approaching it, she reached out and pulled the doorknob, causing the wooden panel to slide towards her.

Not wanting to leave on a bitter note, she turned around to glance at the six foot, four inch man behind her and gave him a chance to right the situation.

"He really is a good man, you know."

In a slightly raspy, yet quiet voice, he disagreed, "But not good enough for you."

And just like that, he passed up on the opportunity and watched as the woman he had fallen in love with closed the door behind her.

* * *

**I can't deny that we had been through a hell of a lot. In fact, I've known him for most of my life. Then again, that's what happens when you're the son and daughter of a wrestler. You grow up around it.**

**You eventually fall in love with the business. Then you marry it, in one way or another. And that's what I did. I married the business, both in the literal and figurative sense. **

**I dedicated my life to World Wrestling Entertainment, as a Vice President and a Diva. **

**I married a wrestler.**

**And while you might sit there and judge me, that's alright. Because there isn't a single day that passes in which I regret either one of those decisions. Or who I chose in the end. **

* * *

She had lied.

She had looked Dwayne right in the eye and flat out lied to him.

There was no early dinner with John planned, nor were there any plans in place at all… for anything.

Jessica McMahon was too scared to stay and too confused to leave of her own volition, so she needed an excuse.

So there she was, wandering the halls of the Hilton, hoping not to bump into a single person she knew… because if she did, there was no way in hell she could keep something like this to herself, not anymore.

Jessica knew she needed to tell someone, but wasn't sure who.

Who could she possibly call? Amy? Trish? Even Stephanie?

No, none of those would suffice. Amy was dealing with her own personal problems, Trish was busy planning her wedding, and Stephanie would kill her husband for dropping this kind of bombshell and not telling her.

And most certainly, John Cena was out of the question.

So for a few minutes, the caramel blonde sat on the bed in the hotel room she shared with her fiancé, rattling names off of a mental list, mainly consisting of wrestlers like Randy Orton, Dave Batista, who couldn't keep such a devastating secret from their good friend, Divas like Mickie and Candice, who didn't know her all that well, and family members like Shane and Linda, who adored both Dwayne and John equally and would offer little to no resolution, each failing to meet the requirements.

After striking off everyone from her list, a beam of light reflected off of her engagement ring and caught her eye.

It was the ring that solidified John's promise to her… her fiancé's promise to her.

But as much as she adored her ring and her fiancé, she couldn't help but remember a small piece of her that she had buried over ten years ago, the piece of her that had fallen in love with Dwayne Johnson.

Then again, maybe, Dwayne wasn't the only one she had lied to.

And suddenly, it dawned on her.

There was only one person with a completely unbiased view of the situation, who had grown up in similar circumstances, but out of the limelight thus far, yet might be able to help her make sense of the whole situation.

So with a sigh, she dialed the semi-foreign number and hoped for the best.

All that was left to do was spend the next ten seconds until he answered coming up with a way to explain why she was calling him in the middle of training.

* * *

**A/N: There it is! The mystery man behind the door is none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!**

**It was killing me to keep this from you guys, but I couldn't help it. The next chapter is going to be a little more comical, a little less emotional, and a whole lot more interesting.**

**You know me! I love to keep you all on the edge of your seats.**

**And speaking of keeping you on the edge of your seats, I'd like to plug my latest one-shot, "Hollywood's Not America." It's a Jeff/OC story that's very different from anything I've ever done. I spent most of my food science class in high school, which I have since graduated from, writing this story and getting yelled at by my teacher, Mrs. Bailey. But it was soooo worth it!**

**Of course, you must check out the rest of my Triple Update. Yes, I borrowed a page from HHH... but now, I'm the Queen of Queens. Excuse me, it's 3:30am here and I'm exhausted.**

**Anyhoo...**

**Shout-outs!**

**StarSixtyNine – **This is a mini-cliffie, but it's not NEARLY as exciting as the last one. If you think really hard, you'll figure it out.

**Westfan – **You were right. It was Dwayne. Do you have ANY idea how hard it was not to tell you? I'd type it and then quickly backspace. I hope you liked this chapter, girl. You know I'd NEVER let it be your Davey.

**Purplefeather21 – **Thank God (or should I say Randy Orton) that you didn't die, or I'd have to stop writing knowing I'd caused deaths. At least I know you're okay with it being Dwayne. And if you're as serious about what you've said as I think you are, you'll like the next chapter too. It somewhat is setting up SAR IV.

**Sideways anger – **Sorry it's not Jeff, or Adam, for that matter. But I hope you're cool with it being Dwayne.

**Giftiebee – **Yay! I missed my Britty! Paul can't keep his mouth shut, Steph can't keep hers in check, and Jessica is… struggling to say anything at all.

**Simply Priceless – **You're really going to like the next chapter. REALLY going to like it. And this storyline with Ted and Cody plays VERY nicely with SAR IV.

**Trevia0123 – **I'm so glad you loved it. I hope you liked my choice of Dwayne!

**PreciousKat – **If you review, I know you're alive. Which I hope you are.

**Nicole – **I know, I know… I suck for that. But you love me for it… and Jessica for it. I hope you loved this too.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Ahh, you of all people, as a loyal reader, should know that nothing is ever what it seems with me.

**Sailormama – **Ahh! Another person I tricked! I hope I eased your migraines with this one!

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **I know, I suck. I'm sorry. But now, your choices have been narrowed down to one!

**Goddessofthenite – **Yeah, you'd be harassing me to NO END. But I have been on vacation for a week, so now I'm refreshed and inspired. If anyone's been harassing me lately, it's Becky. I totally owed her after losing the bet of David Wright vs. Corey Hart. And while I did lose, David got in anyway… and I get to see him today. Yay!

**Sambolina – **It sucks to be wrong, but it's great to finally find out. And as John J. Cena, aka Johnny Fabulous, likes to say… "It's good to be great, but it's great to be fabulous."

**Chain Gang Princess – **Okay, so I couldn't update IMMEDIATELY, but I hope this was timely enough for you. I do feel for John a little bit, but once he finds out, I'll feel for him a LOT more.

**xtobelovedx** – I'm glad you liked the last chapter, but I have a feeling you've enjoyed this one just a little bit more.

**xoxoBleedingLovexoxo – **I'm glad you like this series. Right now, I'm pretty much dead-set on having a She's a Rebel IV. I don't think there will be another one after that. Well, not right now, anyway.

**Lady Luv – **I hope this chapter was worth the wait, as long and hard as it was. Well, that just sounded kind of dirty.

**Dani – **Me and my cliffhangers, right? I know, they suck. And while it wasn't Cody, we'll be seeing young Runnels soon enough.

**CandaceMcMahon – **You think maybe you could try and recover your password like everyone else does? Seriously, you're turning into Candice Michelle more and more every day. Soon, you'll be Maria… and there's enough of her stupidity to go around, haha. I'm just kidding. I know what it's like to be off-keel. I'm glad you liked the Cody convo… and like I said to Dani, more Cody to come. I think the autobio insert was more appropriate here though.

**Startingline722 – **You know what that tells me? You liked the chapter so much you had to read it again! And I love that… review on the second time all you want! Haha. I hope you liked this one too!

**Cena-holic8 – **Just ask my friends and they'll agree that I can confuse the hell out of people. I use big words around one of my friends, Shawon, just to mess with his head. It's a riot. And I am so flattered that you think my series is the best around. That means SO much to me, you have no idea.

**ThatsMe – **You, my dear, need an award. I'm going to create one right now… the 24 Hours award… and it'll come complete with a picture of Jude Harrison from Instant Star. Well, she did record the song after all. It's going to be called the Jude Harrison 24 Hours award. I'm so impressed by that, you have no idea. Holy Marathon, Batman.

**2 Die is 2 Live – **Like I've said all along, confusing the crap out of people is my specialty. And while it isn't Randy, I must admit that the Rock still qualifies as a hot-ass guy fighting over her. I mean, I rarely admit this, but the Rock was my first crush growing up. Yeah, way before Justin Timberlake was in NSYNC and the object of my affections. And that's saying something. Really, it is!

**Dj-ssdd – **What is it with people say I suck for last chapter? Jeez. It's okay, cause I totally know I did for that one. Next update will be quicker. I promise.

**CenaFan1395 – **Once again, I suck… blah blah blah… just kidding. So, what do you think of the man behind the door?

**Well, sportsfans, or should I say, Cena-fans, that's all for now.**

**As I'm sure you can tell, More Than Words and Only One have been update too. Go check those out.**

**And check out Jessica's blog on my profile. It has been updated.**

**And vote in the new poll as to who Jessica should choose.**

**Oh… and did anyone see the new Cena/McMahon Gillette add with the chairs? I saw it for the first time today… and seriously, I almost died laughing.**

**Just putting that out there.**

**Rock on!**

**Danielle**


	8. Chapter 8

A somewhat sleepy voice came across the speaker of her cell phone, "Hello?"

She shook her head incredulously, "It's six 'o clock at night and you're asleep."

"Shawn and I had a late night last night... or rather, an early morning if you want to be technical."

"I don't feel like being technical," Jessica began, sinking down onto her bed. "But you know that I don't like you hanging out with that Shawn Spears kid, Runnels. He's bad news, not to mention a bad influence. Then again..." she trailed off sadly, recalling the last four hours of her life, "Maybe I shouldn't be the moral compass for you either."

"Jessica," Cody asked, seeming to be a lot more awake than a few moments ago, "What's wrong? You don't sound like yourself. And while I may be half asleep... correction, AM half asleep, I do know enough to realize when something isn't right."

"Have you ever had someone tell you something you wish they hadn't because now, you can't think of anything else?"

His curiosity was instantaneously piqued, "Yeah."

"Well, today, it happened to me," she informed him, still internally contemplating how to explain the situation to Cody.

"Um, alright..."

The blonde rolled her eyes as she clutched the phone to her ear, "Listen, Runnels. You're the only one I can talk to about this, so what I am about to tell you needs to stay between you and me. Only two other people know and I'd really like to keep it that way."

"So I'm going to safely assume John is one of them," he laughed into his phone.

But the silence on the older wrestler's end of the line quickly convinced him otherwise.

"Jesus Christ, McMahon," he sighed, rubbing his head in surprise. "If it's something this big, why are you calling me of all people?"

Her front teeth dragged lightly across her lower lip before she spoke, "You're the most objective opinion I'm going to find, kid. I know you're young, but I feel like you're almost like me when I first started training. And despite what anyone might say about you, I know you've got an older soul than your age lets on."

Cody couldn't help but smile at her words, "That's one of the nicest things I've ever had anyone say to me. Thanks, Jess."

"Anytime, Runnels."

"Now," he began, straightening up as he deepened his voice to an impossible low, "What seems to be troubling you, Ms. McMahon?"

"Do you remember, back in 1998, what my post-Invasion storyline was?" she asked him.

"Um..." he trailed off, his eyes darting upwards as he attempted to recall the information. "Was that the one with the Rock?"

"Mhmm..."

_Getting warmer..._

"That was right after Survivor Series?"

_Warmer again..._

"Oh that's right! You were the co-owner of WWE and the Rock was your on-screen..." Cody exclaimed, content with the fact that he had traveled back eight years in his mind. But then, like a ton of bricks, the realization of the significance of the storyline hit him. "Oh."

She closed her eyes lightly, "Do you understand now?"

"Yeah... but how?"

"I don't know, Cody... it's not like I asked for any of this to happen. I mean, I'm engaged for crying out loud."

"Okay, okay," he attempted to calm her down. "I'm sorry. I was being insensitive. How did you find out?"

For the next hour, she explained everything that had taken place since two 'o clock that afternoon.

She told him how Paul had been acting strange and about the scene in the elevator. She talked about their conversation in his and Steph's hotel room and how he had told her all about the secret he'd be keeping from her.

Lastly, Jessica attempted to explain the deep confusion she had experienced once she had opened that door and found Dwayne behind it, as well as his shot at an explanation.

"I don't even know what to say first..." Cody sighed, flopping backwards on his navy comforter. "I'm sorry, Jess. That sucks."

She snorted, "Tell me about it, Runnels."

Cody paused for a moment in deep thought, but then continued, "Jess, I'm going to ask you a question and I don't want you to be offended by it. I just want you to answer me honestly, alright?"

"Okay..."

"Do you still have feelings for Dwayne?"

Jessica McMahon sat silent.

"Jess?"

Jessica took a deep breath and then began to speak once more, "In my early twenties, there was nothing I wanted more than to be Mrs. Dwayne Johnson. He was tall, dark, and handsome... and he was the first person in the World Wrestling Federation to make me feel at home, more so than my own father and sister had. Of course there was going to be some sort of attachment to him." She sighed and then continued. "And once Simone was born, I had convinced myself that was all those feelings really were. Not love, but attachment to a best friend. So when Dwayne named me godmother of his first born, I pushed those feelings aside and promised myself that I'd never feel them again, for anyone. Because all those feelings had done was gotten me hurt in the end. Both with Jeff and then Dwayne..."

"But then John came along," Cody finished for her.

"And I realized that I had hidden feelings for him, much in the same way I had done with Dwayne after we had stopped speaking," Jessica continued off of Cody's words. "I always loved John. He was always my best friend and knew me better than anyone else, even in the days and years neither one of us had the guts to pick up the phone. Despite the relationships I had long after high school had ended, John always had a piece of my heart."

"So... do you still have those feelings for Dwayne?"

After another moment, Jessica replied, "No, not now. Not anymore."

She could have sworn she heard the young man breathe a sigh of relief, "Good. Now that we have that solved. How are you going to tell John?"

"I'm not really sure," she admitted, chewing on her lower lip. "I am going to tell him... but right now, I have a wedding to plan."

* * *

**How ridiculous was it of me to think that I could plan my wedding while hiding such a big secret from my future husband? Looking back on it, it was just stupid.**

**I should have gone to him and explained everything right away. I should have walked right up to John and told him that he was the one for me. Instead, I waited... and wished I hadn't.**

* * *

Two hours later, she had finished her phone conversation with Cody and was laying on the hotel bed she shared with John, on top of the covers, in a pair of flannel pants and a black tank top, as the clock ticked past 8:30.

Almost on the dot, the door opened and in walked her fiance, dressed in white basketball shorts and a royal blue American Bodybuilding tee-shirt.

"Hey," he smiled at her warmly, dropping down onto the bed beside her.

A bright smile crept across her face as she curled up against him.

Her conversation with Paul hadn't exactly lifted her spirits much, but being with John always picked her mood up.

"I'm glad you're back. I missed you," she leaned her head against his chest. "It's been a rough couple of hours."

He nodded knowingly, "Paul?"

"Something like that."

"Well, I know what will cheer you up..." John informed her, pressing a kiss to her temple as an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Jessica's hazel eyes looked up at him, "And what is that?"

"I talked to your dad a few hours ago," he began. "And I convinced him to let us use the company jet on Tuesday morning so that we can fly into New York and meet with Preston. He called me today to let me know that he is getting a shipment of flowers tomorrow night that are samples for us to choose from and he's constructing a couple of possible centerpieces from silk flowers. I figured you would want to check it out as soon as possible."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"Jess, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing... just... every time I think that I can't possibly love you anymore, you go and do something like this and change my mind completely."

"You know how to make a guy smile, girl," he beamed down at her, his azure eyes brightening. "Now come on, let's get some sleep. You've had a rough day and I've had a rough night. Together, we've had a pretty shitty day."

The blonde chuckled, "Dad was that bad, huh?"

"I did all but do the chicken dance, Jessica."

"Well," she laughed, reaching down and pulling the blanket out from underneath her and on top of them, "I think everyone can be thankful that you didn't."

* * *

_The Rebel's Release - August 25, 2006_

_I know that it's been a little while since I last wrote on this page, but things have been rather hectic in the McMahon-Cena household as of late._

_Between being on the road again, putting in some extra time at the gym to keep my knee conditioned, and planning a wedding, my brain is one-hundred percent on OVERLOAD._

_As of now, I can give you a few details of what John and I have discussed about the wedding. We haven't dealt with attire or invitations or even a guest list, quite yet, but we have picked out a venue and have begun to figure out what we want for the decor._

_I'm not going to be a bubblegum bride. Then again, I don't think that anyone out there ever thought I would be... not anyone that knows me, anyway. I swear pink will not be the central color of the tables. I haven't decided on bouquets, but with the help of our amazing wedding planner, Mr. Preston Bailey, the floral arrangements are currently being discussed._

_We're focused on deep red colors for the decor. It's rock n' roll, but not too hardcore. I don't want to scare my parents' friends... too much._

_Well, on a non-wedding related note, I'm officially entertaining two movie scripts at the moment._

_I'll give you a brief synopsis of both._

_The first script is currently untitled and follows Scarlett Lucas, a fiery and passionate 26-year-old redhead who lives in the fictional city of Granger City, a highly populated, industrial headquarters. By day, she's the dedicated owner of Inferno Tech , one of the world's leaders in music technology. By night, she's her alter-ego, Blaze: the flame-throwing, crimson ball of light flying through the sky._

_The story begins with the audience's first glance at another typical day at Ms. Lucas's company, following a night of crime-fighting. She shows little signs of fatigue throughout the day and has plenty of energy to run her company. Scarlett's faced with ruthless businessmen and simply outsmarts them as though it's nothing… especially compared to the battles she fights at night._

_And then there's Luke Stanford, the owner of the city's largest sporting equipment stores: the Stanford Sports empire. Unlike Scarlett, Luke is completely powerless, yet he begins to take interest in her after she rescues him one night on the way home from one of his stores. Luke is the only one who truly knows that she is in fact Blaze and it's a fresh breath of air to be able to talk to someone about her complicated life, leaving her to contemplate whether or not life with a regular guy like Luke might work out._

_The second movie, called "Punk Rock Princess," centers around Kristin Mackenzie, a singer/songwriter from Pasadena, who's struggling to become successful and her interaction with Andrew McMahon, the philosophical pianist/songwriter of a rock band. Her developing friendship with McMahon, aptly named for Something Corporate lead singer and pianist, Andrew McMahon, grows throughout the first half of the movie and quickly develops into love. _

_After they decide to pursue this romance, both Kristin and Andrew, are faced with the re-emergence of demons from their respective pasts, combined with the struggle to succeed. Their tours will take them far away from each other, Andrew miserable with her absence, and Kristin feeling a void in his departure, but will one be convinced he or she needs to move on?_

_I kind of like the idea of being a rock n' roll princess, as well as a superhero!_

_What do you think? Let me know!_

_Peace, love, and rock n' roll!_

_Jess_

* * *

The WWE Corporate Jet landed at the airport around eleven am the morning after Raw, an hour and a half after taking off from Connecticut.

A little after one 'o clock in the afternoon, John and Jessica arrived at the familiar office of Preston Bailey, the scent of roses wafting across their nostrils.

Approaching the desk, the secretary smiled, "Mr. Cena, Ms. McMahon! Welcome back. Mr. Bailey told me that you have selected Oheka Castle as the venue for both your ceremony and reception. It's quite the wonderful choice."

"Thank you," Jessica smiled genuinely at her, turning to John briefly. "We fell in love with the place the moment the car pulled up to the front lawn."

"Breathtaking, I know," she gushed and buzzed Preston from her desk.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Bailey, Mr. Cena and Ms. McMahon are here to see you."

"Ahh... I will be right out."

Sure enough, less than fifteen seconds later, the cocoa-skinned man in his late fifties appeared from behind the cherry-oak door to the left of his secretary's desk.

In a pair of khaki slacks and a black polo, Preston smiled as he approached the couple.

"Jessica, John it's so nice to see you!" he exclaimed as he kissed Jessica on the cheek and shook John's hand. "Jess, you got so nice and tanned since the last time I saw you. The road has been treating you quite well, I see."

"Am I tan?" she looked down at her arms and then back at the older man. "I never really notice these days."

"Well, you look as beautiful as ever," he grinned. "Now, I have a few samples for you in my work station. I've been working on them this week and I hope you like them. I also have a few of the sample flowers that came in two days ago in chill for you to take a look at. The samples are silk... but of course, will be real the day of the wedding."

John's curiosity was quickly piqued, "In chill?"

Preston laughed, "Sorry. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows what the heck I'm talking about when it comes to flowers. Only Tracy," he gestured to his secretary before them, "Seems to understand what I say these days."

"And even for me, it's hard," she mused, typing away at her computer.

"When something is 'in chill,'" the famed floral designer began to explain, "It means that it's in a delicate form of thermostasis, utilizing cold air to keep it fresh at temperatures from 33-38 degrees Fahrenheit."

The future bride smirked as a light chuckle passed through her lips, "Refrigeration."

"Yes," Preston nodded with both surprise and amusement. "Exactly. You are marrying a smart one, John."

"I know," he replied with a bright smile, his blue eyes glinting.

The older man clapped his hands together and walked over to the double doors, "Well, then. Shall we take a look at what we have brewing in Preston's Kitchen?"

The couple nodded and Preston pulled open the doors... the scent of the flowers immediately swirling around them, a sea of red, scarlet, and crimson before them.

John slid an arm around his fiancee's shoulders, pressing a light kiss to the side of her head as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

And while both John and Preston assumed that it was the beauty of the flowers or the fact that the impending wedding was finally becoming real to her that had caused her to become emotional...

Jessica couldn't be sure whether they were right or if it was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Dwayne's words out of her mind.

* * *

**A/N: I told you guys that I'd be updating a lot more often. This was a little over a week. See? I'm getting MUCH better again!**

**I just got my brand new MacBook laptop, which I'm putting to good use, and this was the first chapter typed up on it, so I hope it came out good.**

**As for Ms. McMahon, well... things are looking both up and down at the same time. She's got movie scripts coming in and she's planning her wedding, but you can tell her mental state is not one-hundred percent right now at all.**

**Here's the results of the poll on my profile page so far.**

**_Who should Jessica choose?_**

**_John Cena - 20 votes (83 percent)_**

**_The Rock - 4 votes (16 percent)_**

**Keep voting everyone! It'll be interesting to see what you all really think should happen.**

**And now... for the shout-outs:**

**Superstars Kid - **Believe me. I know exactly where it's going to end up. There is no maybe ending or a choice I'm deciding between. There is a definitive ending in my head. And as for everyone knowing how it ends, what makes you so sure? And thank you for your praise. It is much appreciated!

**Trevia0123 - **Thank you!

**Latisha C - **Thank you. I'm glad I'm keeping you on the edge of your seat!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 - **Well, Dwayne was the hottest man in the WWF/E for a very long time. John might be the incumbent holder of that title, but there's a lot of history with Dwayne and Jessica, as well. Time shall tell...

**Westfan - **It was so hard not to tell you! And way to be a little egocentric there, Kase. You knew it wasn't going to be Dave. I saw the commercial the other day while watching the Mets and a little piece of me screamed. Alright, my whole body did. Whatever.

**Chain Gang Princess - **I'm glad I surprised you! And you were right! It was the Codester himself.

**Queen Chaos-Hardy - **Off your playmate chest, huh? Well, that is quite the compliment.

**Simply Priceless - **Did you get your Cody-fill on that one?

**nychick4 - **Well, it was more of an opinion poll. I already knew who was going to be behind the door.

**Thats Me - **Haha. Was this soon enough for you?

**Cena-holic8 - **Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm gonna go out on an oak tree limb and say a certain Mr. Cena.

**purplefeather21 - **Fooled you too! I couldn't let it be Randy. Too many people would have killed me and it would have been too much like other stories. I don't know if there is a Cena/Rock love triangle anywhere out there. It'd be cool to be the first. And yep. There will be an SAR IV.

**xoxoBleedingLovexoxo - **I think the better question is... Do you smell what the Rock is cookin? Just kidding.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf - **I'm constantly thinking... oh my God. I could wake up one day in Tampa and walk into the bathroom and see him shaving just like that. It's a sad thought. There are a lot of people that Jessica blames right now... Dwayne, Paul, but mostly, she's blaming herself.

**sideways anger - **As long as the seat doesn't stay glued to your pants, I'm okay. It's good to know I've got you hooked though, lol.

**CenaFan1395 - **You definitely were right. I can't believe how many of you I had fooled, though.

**goddessofthenight - **Yeah, right. Good try on the five minutes. I may be good, but I can't bang out a chapter in that little of time, spaz.

**dj-ssdd - **You were right on Cody, but I'm not surprised you didn't guess Dwayne. It was definitely an "out there" possibility. I like to venture into the depths of the universe sometimes.

**Sambolina - **Ah... yes, I am quite the trickster, aren't I?

**StartingLine722 - **It's okay. Don't feel bad... there were like a hundred other people who were wrong.

**StarSixtyNine - **Yes, you should of. But it's okay. And killing with love is still murder. Just for the record.

**2 Die is 2 Live - **I can't believe you're speechless. But I'm glad I shocked you that much.

**Dani - **A woman's intuition is never wrong! Did you get my email?

**miniature-hero - **Thank you, I'm glad you liked it.

**Broken.Baby.Gyrl - **Dude! I'm glad you enjoyed the series so far. I am always astounded when people read the entire trilogy in one shot. Really, I am. And honestly, I don't think that Jessica McMahon can really go wrong either way when it comes to choosing. It's just a matter of who she is meant for... and right now, she has no clue. But eventually, she will. Probably around Chapter 20-ish. But that's just a rough number. This one is looking to have around the same number of chapters as the others. And please do not stop reviewing on account of me, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE long reviews. For the record.

**Well, everyone! That concludes another chapter of She's a Rebel III: Cupid's Chokehold. If you haven't read my new story, please do... Hollywood's Not America. More Than Words is probably about six or seven chapters away from being over, as is Only One... I think. Although, there's a lot to be done with that one. It might go more like ten or eleven at the rate my brain is processing.**

**Anyway, what were your thoughts on Raw tonight? I was waiting until it was over to post this... but I'm still not happy about Adamle. Maybe they're going to put Steph back in there someday... or not. I hope they do.**

**Cody and Ted jr. v. Batista and Cena?**

**Four good looking men is never a problem in my book.**

**When was the last time you saw Cena use a sleeper hold besides... NEVER?**

**And Dave was being a douche. I was yelling at John to slap him upside the head to make a tag.**

**The outcome?**

**Not very surprising, in all honesty. I kind of guessed they'd wint he titles. I think that creative deprived Cody and Ted of a long run, BUT this could be their way of relegitimizing the Tag Division, which has been a joke the last few years. Remember how well Randy and John tagged? Well, hopefully, there will be some stronger tag teams now. Unfortunately, we lost Jeff and Kennedy, but... maybe a few more names will pop up again soon.**

**I think that this may give Cody and Ted an opportunity to step up if they begin to feud with Dave and John. It's a major push for them if it's the way Creative decides to handle it.**

**I just hope they don't turn this into Michaels/Cena pt 2.**

**Although, the post match "celebration" was pretty stupid in my opinion. They're thirty-plus year old men. A little hard to believe they'd do the "anything you can do, I can do better" garbage.**

**But John had his cutest smile... so it didn't bother me too much.**

**ANYHOO... I hope you enjoyed the chapter. You guys have been awesome with the reviews... and please continue to do so! I love you guys!**

**Rock out!**

**Danielle**


	9. Chapter 9

For the eighth time in the last hour, Jessica's phone rang and played the same ringtone.

And for the eighth time in the last hour, she hit the ignore button.

What could he possibly be thinking? Did he really believe that if he got just one more moment of her time that she'd actually be convinced to leave John?

Now that she was in Tampa, she knew that she couldn't pick up the phone; it was easier for him to get to her if he knew that she was there.

Angrily, she threw it into a kitchen drawer and shut it, no longer wanting to hear the noise.

"What did that phone ever do to you?"

The blonde whipped her head around to find her fiancé leaning against the doorframe and scowled, "That's not funny."

He tried to stop chuckling as he approached her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I know you've been a little stressed lately."

Damn. He's noticed.

"I just have a lot on my plate," she covered with a sigh, turning around to continue working on dinner.

At least she wasn't lying.

"I know, baby," John nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. "But you're going to have to make a little more food tonight."

A wry smile spread across his fiancée's face, "John, don't you think it's a little early for that?"

John laughed heartily, "I'm going to have to take a rain check on that, Jess. I actually invited over some company."

"Oh," Jessica smiled and turned around, just in time to hear the door ring. "I'll get it."

"Alright," the Massachusetts native nodded as he watched her retreat into the foyer.

And just as he turned to the stove to take a taste of the soup on the range, he was halted in his tracks, "Leave it alone!"

"Where's Ron Simmons when you need him?"

Laughing at the wrestler's antics, she reached for the door and pulled it open, "Baby, I don't know if I have enough food for Rob..."

But on the other side of the door, she didn't find Rob Sullivan, John's childhood friend from his Cushing Academy days.

"Dwayne?" her hazel eyes widened as she laid eyes on the thirty-four year old, half-Samoan.

His lips gave way to his sterling grin. "Hey, Jess."

And while she did open her mouth to reply, the only sound audible was her body hitting the floor.

* * *

The Diva's eyes fluttered open and locked with a pair of concerned, sapphire ones.

"John?" she asked in a whisper. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Are you alright, Jess? I heard you fall from the kitchen. And it was loud."

"Are you trying to insinuate that I need to lose weight?"

John sighed in relief. Her playful humor had returned.

"Never."

"I remember I mentioned her weight once…" a voice interred, causing Jessica to silently wince. "And I also remember the bruise that I had on my arm as a result. It didn't go away for three weeks."

The twenty-seven year old blonde didn't even want to turn her head in the direction of the voice. After all, she fully knew who it was.

And that was the problem.

She had hoped that it was all a bad dream, a very bad dream brought on by a slip or a fall on the brand new tile in the Tampa house.

But it wasn't. Unfortunately.

"I'm fine," she muttered, rising quickly to a sitting position, much faster than she should have. Instantly, she grew dizzy.

"Whoa," John place a hand between her shoulder blades. "Not so fast there, killer. Dawyne, watch her. I'm going to go get some ice."

"Sure, man," Dwayne assured the younger man with a nod and then turned towards Jessica after he had left the room. "You okay?"

The blonde scoffed audibly, "I was peachy keen until you got here. Why the hell did you come here?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, because John asked me to."

"You could have told him no," she hissed, holding the back of her head.

"Plus, I wanted to spend time with you."

"Why am I not shocked?" she shook her head in frustration. "And by the way, thanks for the headache."

"Come on, Jess." The half-Samoan tolled his eyes. "What kind of a husband would walk away from his wife after she possibly suffered a concussion?"

Dwayne was starting to push all of the wrong buttons… and it was pissing Jessica off.

She grit her teeth together. "He's not my husband yet."

"Exactly," he replied with a poignant not. "Imagine how he'll be when you're married."

"Dwayne, I don't have the time, nor the patience for this anymore."

In the nick of time, John returned with an ice pack for her head. "Look what I've got."

Relieved, his fiancée smiled, "I love ice… but not as much as I love you."

He returned her grin boyishly and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, Jess. So what's for dinner, babe?"

She shook her head with a laugh as he helped her to her feet. "You and that stomach of yours! It's non-stop, isn't it?"

"That's not all that's non-stop," he replied suggestively with a wink.

"John!" she exclaimed, pretending she was appalled, when really, she was overjoyed at his selection of that moment to make a reference to their sex life. "We have a guest."

"My bad," he apologized half-heartedly. "So… dinner?"

"You're ridiculous." Jessica shook her head once again. "I think it should be ready by now… gentlemen, just take a seat at the table."

* * *

Dinner had gone relatively well at the Cena/McMahon household. Dwayne had behaved himself and Jessica had not been forced to kill him.

Although, she had come rather close to offing her fiancé upon his decision to invite Dwayne over for dinner again tomorrow because John would be at his friend, Matt's, for lunch. Jessica wouldn't be joining him, as she had a conference call with corporate tomorrow at that time.

For the better part of the last hour, Jessica had sat in her office on "an important business call," wondering how she could be so angry with the man who had been one of her best friends for her entire career.

In fact, she hadn't been on a business call, let alone on the phone at all.

Instead, she just needed some time to work things out in her head and since Cody wasn't available to talk, there was no one to help her.

_Except…_

Instantly, Jessica McMahon tried to push the thought out of her head, but it was there. And it wasn't going away until she did what the voice in her head.

She had to make that phone call, no matter how risky it was.

* * *

"Hey, it's me," Jessica stated politely into the phone.

"Hey, Jess," the female on the other end replied brightly, "Hold on one second."

For the thirty seconds she was on hold, Jessica heard a mumbled conversation between the young woman and the other person in the room.

And then, a raspy voice was now audible through the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Randy," she greeted him in a tone less cheery than normal.

"Something's wrong," he stated concernedly. "I hear it in your voice. What's wrong, Jess?"

She exhaled deeply, clutching the phone closer to her ear. "You have to promise me you won't say anything to John. Please, Randy. Promise me."

"Jess, I…"

"Randy," his friend cut her off. "You're the best guy friend I have and I love you as though you were my brother. I swear, I love you more than my own sister. I just need you to do this for me. I have no one to talk to."

Randy breathed in and out loudly. "Let me go upstairs."

"So you mean to tell me that Paul never told you that Dwayne is in love with you?"

Jessica nodded for her own benefit, "Well, he eventually did. But he did hide it from me, yes."

"I can't believe him," Randy grit his teeth. "Dwayne's worse. He leaves his wife and breaks up his marriage so that he can try and break up yours? What a fucking asshole."

"Randy…"

"I'm so sick of him. Everything's, 'Oh, the WWE hasn't been the same since The Rock left' and 'I wish the Rock would come back.' But the man turned his back on his roots," he continued to rant, with Jessica now staying silent on the other end of the line. "He says he still loves this business, but he has to make a name for himself elsewhere. Make a name… it's laughable. He has to either go by 'The Rock' or Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in order to be a draw for a movie. But ask him to come back, just for an appearance… no! You can't do that. Because he, the egocentric, narcissistic jackass that he is, can't spare the time to help out the business that allows him to cash in a sweet paycheck from the movie studios. And now, the asshole is trying to prevent your wedding?" the third-generation wrestler seethed and cracks his knuckles. "Over my dead fucking body."

In the silence that followed his verbal rampage, Randy began thinking about their friendship in retrospect, harder than she ever had.

She had always been his constant in a business that was like a revolving door for talent.

When he was a stone's throw away from being kicked out of the WWE, she had thrown him a life preserver in the form of her friendship, saving him from being just another star that burned off way too early in his life.

She was the reason that he was in line for a title run in the next year.

She was the reason that he was dating Samantha and not screwing some random girl from the bar down the road on any given night in St. Louis.

Jessica had given him so much… and now, he was going to repay her for everything she had done.

* * *

"You don't have to do that, man," John assured Dwayne as he loaded some dishes into the dishwasher. "I've got it."

"Please," Dwayne shook him off. "It's the least I can do. Jessica cooked a great meal… speaking of which, where is she?"

John put down a dish and furrowed his eyebrows. "Good question."

"Mind if I go upstairs and look for her?"

"It'll get you to stop trying to clean up…" John laughed. "So go for it."

"Knock, knock…"

Her body froze up at the sound of his voice, but she would not will herself to turn around. "What is it?"

He laughed, "I wanted to check on you, that's all. You've been up here a while. I figured that something was wrong."

Jessica wheeled around slowly, her hazel eyes locking with the chocolate brown orbs of the half-Samoan man in front of her.

She had trusted him with just about everything in her life. In fact, he was the only person she ever spoke to about her issues with John all of those years ago.

"Something is wrong, Dwayne," she sighed heavily, placing her cell phone back onto the desk in the office. "Or rather, someone is wrong. _You_ are wrong."

The six foot, four inch man before her leaned against the wall. "No, I'm not. I know how I feel."

"Correction," Jessica she replied sharply, "You _used_ to know how I felt. You knew how I felt about John all of those years ago and you knew how badly the rift between us was eating me up inside. I used to be able to turn to you with my problems, knowing that you'd be able to tell me what to do because you knew me so well, Dwayne. But now, as far as my relationship with John goes, you've become the problem. And I want you to fix it… I don't want things to be like this anymore."

"They don't have to be like this," Dwayne assured her, folding his arms over his muscular chest, hiding beneath his navy tee shirt. "You could just…"

"No, Dwayne," the young woman cut him off abruptly. "I can't."

Dwayne shook his head and stood up straight. "Can't or won't?

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she shot back, arching an eyebrow at him.

He couldn't help but laugh, "Cute."

"It's not funny. Stay on the subject here. What do you mean 'can't or won't?'"

The bronze-skinned wrestler-turned-actor approached her, "It wouldn't have been okay back then… dating the boss's daughter. Don't you remember how bad it was for Steph and Paul, at first. I mean, I was what? Twenty-seven? And you were barely old enough to legally drink at the time."

Jessica tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

His lips widened into a trademark grin. "Like you don't know. Come on, Jess, admit. Way before Cena came back into the picture and even before Jeff Hardy came around, I was the guy you wanted, but couldn't have."

"You were married," she shot back.

"You and I both know that Dany and I were never happy, not even then. She was the only one who stuck by me through thick and thin during college and my father said that if I had a good image outside of the ring, Vince would be more inclined to give me a push."

Jessica shot out of her chair and onto her feet like a bat out of hell. "My father is _not_ like that."

"Oh yeah?" he retorted, raising his eyebrows. "If that's the case, then why do guys like Randy Orton get punished for being jackasses outside of the ring and then get their push back once they clean themselves back up and put their lives back together."

"It's a reward system for those who can prove themselves," she replied icily. "And DON'T talk about Randy like he's some kind of delinquent."

"That's right, Jess… you were the one who brought him back to the good side. Kudos on that."

"You know, mocking me isn't exactly the best way to get back on my good side."

He let out a slightly chuckle and advanced towards her, "So you want me back on your good side."

"That's not what I said," she warned him.

"I know you too well, Jess. I know that somewhere, deep inside, you still love me the way you used to," he continued to speak as he walked forward, further into the room.

The blonde shook her head, her caramel tresses moving with her, "I'm not going to lie to you, Dwayne. I used to love you… really love you as more than just a friend. But I was twenty-one, maybe twenty-two years old and fresh out of college. I didn't know where I was going in life or what I was going to do. I was three years reconciled with the father I had barely known from the time I was seven until my freshman year at BC. And you were married to Dany, your college sweetheart. I was young, I was confused. I didn't know what I wanted back then. But I know now," she added and then paused for a moment. "I know that I love John Cena, I always have."

The tall, bronze-skinned man in front of her reached out a hand and grazed it along her cheek, finally cupping the skin in his rough palm.

His chocolate brown eyes bore into her own as he spoke softly to the attractive blonde, "But you never said you always will."

Then, without warning, he leaned in and pressed his lips against her… just as John Cena walked through the open door.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I know it has been forever, but college is a lot more time-consuming than high school. Well, at least that's what I've come to realize anyway.**

**I'm on a co-ed floor, which is WONDERFUL, and there is this really cute and funny guy that lives on it. He's a sweetheart. I love the guys on this floor. Especially the late night karaoke sessions we seem to have in the lounge.**

**So this is really going to be the start of all of the drama in the story. Randy knows about Dwayne and how Paul hid it… and now, John is obviously aware of the situation.**

**It's going to become a very interesting dynamic. I think there are probably going to be the same amount of chapters in this story as in SAR I and II. However, at the end, it's going to flash forward in Chapter 19, flash back in Chapter 20, and then flash forward again in 21, which will be the present at the point in the story. Confused yet? Don't worry, it'll all make sense later on.**

**And without further adieu…**

**Simply Priceless – **No, you never do get your Cody fill. And now that Cody has the title back, I'm sure your opinion of the writers is excellent at the moment. Just kidding. Love you, Becks.

**Sideways anger – **Leave it to Creative to screw up a perfectly good opportunity. I mean, now that Steph had little Murphy Claire, it's totally time for her comeback!

**Purplefeather21 – **I'm glad I made your night, all those weeks ago, better. I hope this one does the same. And as for Dwayne, well… he just might.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Please, the mention of John's boyish grin makes me giddy.

**Cenafan1395 – **I didn't update soon at all, so I apologize. I'll do better next time. I swear.

**2 Die is 2 Live **– Thank you! You have no idea how large of a compliment that is. And now, it is definitely too late to tell Jess… but it might be too late for her to tell John, as well.

**iNdy MiLk – **Have I really made you that paranoid that you're examining everything I've written because I'm sneaky? My bad. No, she's not pregnant. Interestingly enough, I hadn't even thought of that writing that exact description. Good call.

**Queen Chaos-Hardy – **Girrrrllll, I have stuff to tell you! I hope you like this chapter. MISS YOU!

**CanadianBrunette619 – **Sorry this wasn't soon enough. But thankfully, Jericho is back to his tights.

**Cena-holic8 – **Please, I am GLUED to my itty bitty college bed.

**Giftiebee – **Her life is just f-ed up. How are you doing in your post-Hurricane area?

**Preciouskat – **STFU! You are so damn lucky, girl! How did you figure that out? Seriously… that's RIDICULOUS. I'm stuck in a tiny dorm at college and you're living near John Cena? SO UNFAIR!

**Sambolina – **I think she's going to be quite upset about the Dwayne thing now, don't you? Haha. The Chihuahua.

**ThatsMe – **That seems to be the popular sentiment, but there is A LOT of resistance to that.

**Aaron – **Total explosion is a very good choice of words.

**Westfan – **Hey Kace, you think this is enough drama?

**Dj-ssdd – **Unfortunately, I updated rather late on this one. But I hope this insane ending made up for it.

**Nic-002001** – Oh my God! You are so not a bad person! But I am flattered you feel guilty that you didn't review, it must mean that you value my opinion. And ANOTHER girl that can't stop talking about that Cena smile! Are you all TRYING to kill me?

**Jun6293 – **No review EVER sucks. EVER. I appreciate yours… and I am honored that I was the first author you read an update for.

**Latisha C – **Hmm… very interesting. I'm glad that Dwayne is starting to appeal to a wider base of fans.

**And what a perfect segue to this…**

**Poll results at this point in time:**

**John Cena – 78 percent**

**The Rock – 22 percent**

**That's very interesting indeed.**

**On a side note, I have stopped watching RAW because of John's absense (we miss you, JC! Come back soon… like, before my show in December!) and the impending premiere of Heroes tonight (on Sept 22nd).**

**I don't know. WWE television is just in a severe rut right now.**

**On a side note… I think I'm going to have to write a paper about the benefits of writing fan fiction in my English class here at Rutgers University.**

**I'm going to kick ass and get an A on it. I KNOW it.**

**Peace out and rock out, Rebels!**

**Danielle**


	10. Chapter 10

"_I just need to think, Jess…"_

"_About what?"_

"_About us!" John sniped back in an outburst. "I need to clear my mind, Jess. It's not all about you, you know. Maybe I don't want to be your fiancé anymore."_

_Suddenly, Jessica felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach, knocking all of the wind right out of her. _

"_Wh-what did you say?" she stammered, her eyes instantly watering._

_John leaned against the doorframe and sighed heavily. "I just don't know what to do with what I just saw. I need time to make sense of it… alone."_

"_Are you throwing me out of the house?" she asked, almost dumbfounded._

"_I'm not throwing you of the house, Jessica. I'm asking you for some space, for some time… and that means that I need to be by myself."_

"_So where do you suggest I go at eleven 'o clock at night?" she asked him, bordering on hysterics._

"_I- I- I don't know. I'm going to go for a drive and clear my head, it'll give you some time to make some arrangements," he replied, turning around towards the hallway. "I'll see you on Monday."_

* * *

"That wasn't fair, Jessica," her friend grumbled from his seat at the kitchen table. "I know it wasn't your fault."

"I should have told him, Dave," she sighed, gripping the coffee mug in her hands. "I told two other people before I even told my own fiancé."

"And Paul should have let you know immediately," Dave countered with a low rumble to his voice. "Believe me, in a matter of days, he'll know that."

"Just don't say anything to Paul yet, okay? I still have to talk to Stephanie… and I really don't want to."

Dave cracked a small smile. "No one wants to talk to your sister."

The Diva attempted to smile, but found it was nearly impossible. "I'm sorry."

The DC-native was perplexed. "For what?"

"For showing up at your house at one in the morning with a trunk full of suitcases and keeping you awake to deal with my problems, one of which I should have told you about sooner," Jessica replied sadly, her dull eyes staring into the half-full mug of coffee.

Dave shook his head at his good friend. "Don't apologize. This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is, Dave," Jessica sighed, her eyes dropping to the table. "As much as you don't want to admit it, this whole thing is my fault. I shouldn't have put myself in this kind of position."

The half-Filipino, half-Greek man rose from his chair and reached down a hand to tilt her chin upwards. "Listen to me, this is not your fault. Yes, you should have told John. Yes, you made a mistake. But you love John, I know that, he knows that, and Dwayne knows that. Why do you think he is trying so damn hard to steal you away from Cena?"

Jessica nodded silently. She knew that Dave was right, but it didn't make the pain go away or change that fact that she could very well lose John for good.

* * *

It was getting cold again in Massachusetts. It wasn't the bone chilling cold that December brought or the wet, muggy cold that spring ushered in. Instead, it was the ominous chill of an autumn wind that was blowing in the colder month of October.

Halloween was coming, too. It had been a really long time since John had been back in West Newbury for that. In fact, it had been around ten years. Ten really long years.

He was halfway to his nineteenth birthday the last time he'd been around for the holiday. It was his freshman year at Springfield College and he had brought his friend, Matt Sullivan, home with him because his hometown of Tampa was quite far away. Mainly, he had traveled back because he'd promised Liz he'd visit her, not knowing that he'd find himself engaged to her three years later for no particular reason at all.

His relationship with his parents was strained at the time, but not nearly as bad as it'd be the following year, after they had made the decision to divorce and he refused to return home.

He was still close with his brother, Steve, who was busy planning his own wedding with his fiancée, Jamie, three years down the road, after he'd graduated from the police academy.

And no relationship was as damaged at the time as his friendship with his partner in crime and neighbor, Jessica McMahon. Liz hadn't taken over her place in his life, but she'd definitely overstepped her boundaries and walked onto a big chunk of it.

It's funny how so much could change in a decade.

Now, he was halfway to birthday number twenty-nine, not even putting the good old college degree to any particular use at all, and the last time he had seen Matt was when he had met up with him in Tampa so that he could help him pick out an engagement ring.

Everything was fine with his parents, now that Liz was permanently out of the picture, but a call to his older brother was long overdue. It would be the triplets' birthday soon and there was a good chance that he had a birthday party at which his attendance was required. The kids would be pretty pissed if he didn't show up with Jessica…

Jessica. Everything in his life always came back to her. No matter how much space he put between them, which, at the moment, was around two thousand miles worth, he couldn't escape her.

Without her in the house, John could barely sleep at night, but when he did, all he found were nightmares. All he could see was her and Dwayne, all of the time.

This had led to his return to West Newbury, Massachusetts. He figured that if he went back to his roots, and spoke to the two people who knew him best, maybe, just maybe, he could figure out exactly wanted to do.

* * *

"Something is wrong."

"What?" John asked in confusion after kissing his mother hello.

"John," Carol sighed as she shook her head. "When you're happy, you're at your father's. It's easy to walk over from the house next door and share good news. You have to go out of your way to get here."

The twenty-eight year old's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"You are my son, John," she addressed him and sat down in a chair in her kitchen. "I know you better than anyone, even your father. And I know that when you show up at my apartment before you show up at his house, something is very wrong. So what is it?"

* * *

"Jessica, you have a phone call!" Dave called upstairs from the kitchen to the guest room. "Line one!"

"Thanks, Dave!" she yelled back to him and ran to his office to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"I'm just letting you know that I've already booked you a flight out here and you're leaving tomorrow afternoon. We will go to Raw together next week."

"Randy, I-"

"No, Dave is leaving tomorrow for Smackdown. We're going to fly from St. Louis together and you and I are going to deal with your retard of a fiancé."

"Look, Randy. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this is my problem, not yours. Maybe some time apart…"

He scoffed, "Right. Okay. You're sounding more and more like him by the second. Let's just take some time apart to think things over. We're just on a break… bullshit, Jessica. He is so full of crap."

She sighed, "Please don't talk about him like that. I'm pissed at him, but that doesn't mean that you should be too."

"Jessica Juliette McMahon," Randy's gravely voice stated sharply. "You have done nothing but been good John for over twenty years and now, for the second time, he's letting his mind get the best of him. I know that you don't have it in your heart to be mad at him because you blame yourself, but he should have enough faith in you, after everything you've done for him, to believe you. No matter what rumors have gone around backstage, I've always trusted what you've said," he added, then paused. "Do you remember what they used to say about us backstage, long before John came around the WWE?"

"They used to say that we were together and that was the only reason you were getting any sort of a push, despite your bad behavior," Jessica answered honestly.

"Right. And only your friends, and I say your friends because you and I both know I didn't have any other than you at the time, refused to believe it. How many times has a rumor gone around about you and John concerning his pushes in the industry, Jess?"

"A lot."

"So then he should know better, Jess," he sighed in exasperation. "He should know better… and that's why I'm mad at him."

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards as she twirled the cord of the phone around her index finger. "You have no idea how much better that makes me feel."

* * *

_**It was hard to find someone to get advice from during all of this. I hadn't told my parents, sister, or brother about my problems. My greatest fear was that I'd tell one of four and they'd be mad at me, or worse, wouldn't believe me at all.**_

_**Over the years, starting with Rocky in the seventies and eighties, the Johnson and McMahon families had developed a very close relationship. I was close with Ata and Rocky Johnson, Dwayne was close with my parents, and our parents were close with each other. Lacking a sibling of his own, Dwayne was exceptionally close to Shane who was only two years older at the time that they first met.**_

_**And I was afraid that after thirty-plus years of that bond, they just wouldn't believe me.**_

_**As for my friends in the WWE, I had few left.**_

_**Yes, Amy had experience with this on a daily basis for three years and Trish had done all she could to fight rumors of relationships with members of the roster while planning her wedding.**_

_**But Trish was a month away from her wedding and Amy was already gone, touring with the Luchagors. They didn't need to deal with this too.**_

_**Mickie, Candice, and Maria were still relatively new to company politics at that time and we'd only recently become decent friends.**_

_**The rest of the girls I knew were still on Smackdown and the next pay-per-view wasn't for another three weeks. I needed answers as fast as possible.**_

_**So that left the guys.**_

_**Jeff Hardy was an option, but we'd only reconciled our differences a short while before and I felt funny talking to him about such a life-changing issue.**_

_**And in regards to the rest of the roster, well… I wasn't so sure they'd choose me over John, even if I was their boss. **_

_**In all honesty, John is one of the hardest working individual wrestlers to walk through the doors of any arena. If he's not doing the slightest thing right, he'll work hours and hours to fix it. He eats, breathes, and sleeps wrestling 24/7. He's open to anything and everything and will give it every ounce of effort he possesses in his body. That's why everyone that truly loves the WWE loves John Cena, both the person and the wrestler. Even me.**_

_**So that left Randy and Dave.**_

_**To this day, I firmly believe that Randy and Dave were the only reasons I got through the whole ordeal. The lines were drawn in the dirt and they were the only people who believed something they weren't fed backstage.**_

_**They were the only people who believed in me, even when my own fiancé did not.**_

_**You may think it was unwise, but I turned to Dave Bautista and Randy Orton, the only two close friends I really had left in the company because really, everyone's your friend until they decide it'll help their career if you're not.**_

* * *

The following day, Jessica found herself in a plane, descending upon Missouri.

It had been a few weeks since she'd seen Randy, as he had taken a few weeks off from television after aggravating his shoulder. It had been even longer since she had last seen his house there. Hopefully, Samantha had helped him keep the place clean because she didn't have two days worth of time to do laundry during this visit. In fact, she barely had twenty-four hours to spend in St. Louis. Nonetheless, it would be nice to see Sam again.

Exiting the plane, Jessica found that it was substantially cooler in November than it had been in Tampa, so she was rather content with her idea to bring a Boston College sweatshirt and to wear jeans.

The walk to the escalator down to the baggage claim was not very long and soon enough, without anyone even recognizing her, she found herself descending down the moving stairs.

"Breaking out the old BC wear, huh?"

The blonde turned to her left and smiled at the sight of her gravel-voiced friend. "You have no idea how happy I am to see your sarcastic ass."

"Obviously, you're mistaken…" Randy shook his head and then turned around, twisting his head around to look at her. "This is my sarcastic ass."

"Ugh, Randy…" she groaned in slight disgust and then laughed. "Shut up and give me a hug."

"Oh… alright," he feigned annoyance and rolled his eyes. Soon though, he about-faced and gave her a strong hug. "I'm so glad to see you. You look great, Jess."

"Even though I feel like shit."

"Yeah, well…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck as they parted. "We're going to take care of that soon enough."

"Do you love her, John?" the woman seated opposite him at the table asked, finally breaking the thick silence in the room that had followed his confession.

"What?" John asked and looked up at his mother, completely dumbfounded.

Carol Cena's gaze held her son's and she repeated herself, "Do... you... love... her?"

The sapphire-eyed man sighed, "More than I've ever loved any other woman in my entire life."

His red-headed mother nodded and paused for a moment. "Then fight for her."

* * *

An hour later, Randy and Jessica were seated in his Hummer H3 as they drove away from the airport, her luggage neatly stacked in the trunk.

"Jess, there's something I need to talk to you about," Randy stated suddenly, glancing over at her from the driver's seat.

The Diva shot him a wary look. "If you're going to tell me you're in love with me…"

"No… NO!" the St. Louis-native shook his head vehemently. "Not you. Samantha. I love her a lot, Jess. More than I could possibly explain… and I just want you to be the first to know of my friends."

"To know what? That you love her?"

Randy chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds and then spoke, "No. That we're engaged."

Randy waited for a minute, expecting a crying fit or an angry tongue-lashing.

Instead, he got an opposite response.

"Randy! Congratulations!" Jessica exclaimed brightly as they stopped at a traffic light. "When did this happen?"

"A week ago. It's why I wanted some time off. I wanted to plan the perfect engagement and have some time to spend with Sam," he explained, a smile of his own slowly spreading across his face. "I wasn't just being a complainer."

Jessica shook her head and laughed. "I never would have guessed that Randy Orton would be married before he turned thirty. Holy crap… I think that might explain the Floridian cold spell we had last week."

Randy laughed, as well. "Yeah, that might do it."

* * *

**A/N: I know it's been a long time, again, but that's college for you. My goal, at the very least, is to do one update on each story per month, as that's the only logical thing I can do right now.**

**By no means is that indicating I have writer's block. Instead, it means that I know where I'm going with each story, More Than Words and Only One included, and want to create a regular updating schedule. If I can get two updates in over the course of a month, great. If not, at least I'm not disappointing.**

**This chapter is setting up a really eventful one next chapter. Let's just say that more and more people are starting to find out about what's going on behind the scenes and this next chapter coming up is going to spill the beans to a lot of people.**

**On another note… we've hit TWO HUNDRED REVIEWS!! This is my first story to average 20-plus views per chapter and I am so excited about it. Thank you guys for all of your love and support. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.**

**Speaking of which…**

**Dani – **Thanks for the review, girl. Truthfully, since I switched to my Mac, I've lost the writing you sent me. If you could send it to me again and when I get a chance, I'll look at it and give you some suggestions. Beta reading is just too hard right now.

**Westfan – **Oh boy! You've pulled the Orton card. That's insanity, girl! And the reason I haven't watched is because Heroes and My Own Worst Enemy have taken over priority since Raw sucked for so long. When John comes back, I'll return. PS: When will that be?

**Dj-ssdd – **I know this love triangle is frustrating… but imagine how Jess feels! And you know what, college isn't for everyone. Some people find their calling without having to spend eighty grand on undergrad and a hundred-twenty grand on law school. Or maybe that's just me…

**Chain Gang Princess – **I know, I know. I suck. I always leave it as it gets good. But next chapter… is going to be REALLY good. And dramatic. You know I do dramatic well.

**StarSixtyNine** – Your random flash of Dane Cook just made me laugh really loud at four am. It's a good thing I'm at home and not at school or my roommate would be MAD pissed. Oddly enough, they're somewhat my views, but I can't blame the guy for having a contingency plan. I mean, how many guys can be Ric Flair and last well into their later years? Or rather, how many guys can defy the odds of getting injured for that long?

**CanadianBrunette619 – **I feel like Creative has been smoking some laced weed for the last… seven years, quite honestly. It's just that the stuff it's laced with has been getting more and more hardcore since then. Mike Adamle is basically killing RAW single handedly and the lack of John Cena is absolutely destroying me. I miss him too. And no! You did not mention that you were in the arms of Jeff Hardy and he said you were pretty. In the words of the Hurricane, whom I hear is returning soon, "Whasup wit dat?" Sorry. Random.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **We shall see about that.

**iNdy MiLk – **No, no. It wasn't a bad guess. I just didn't realize what it could be as interpreted as. For the record, I'm pretty much one of few writers who won't write a Cena/OC story in which the OC gets pregnant… and then John marries her. I don't know, it seems to be too typical to me. I'm not knocking any other writers though. Some of those stories have been amazing! It's just not my style. All of you readers out there can knock that possibility off your list though.

**Latisha C – **Personally, I can't wait until RANDY blows a gasket.

**Cena-holic8 – **Wow! Now you're a McCena-holic too! Just like me! I miss Cena a lot too. I feel a void! At least he's coming back soon!!

**Nic-002001 – **Aww, don't feel guilty. And ask… and you shall receive.

**Enigmatic Lotus Lead – **Oh come on! You know how many cliffhangers I have delivered over the last three years! Did this REALLY surprise you? And um… I did not notice that he is sleeving his arms! You must PM me evidence of such! I'm glad your year is going well!

**BrookeB17 – **John invited him to dinner to surprise Jess because they never really get to see each other when the WWE rolls into South Florida, so he figured, to be nice and get major brownie points, he'd arrange for a visit. Granted, not knowing what we knew, it sounded like an amazing plan. And yeah… how AMAZING are co-ed floors?!

**ThatGirl54 – **Thank you sooooooo much! I am so glad you're enjoying this series. And that's totally NOT obsessive. I used to write this story… IN CLASS. As in, totally neglecting all of my grades because I was so in this story. Hell, I went to England, France, Italy, and Greece… and spent half the time writing while holed up in my room at night or traveling to another city!

**CenaFan1395 – **What do you think about John's reaction now?

**Sambolina – **HAHA. I hope you didn't freak out TOO much when this arrived in your inbox!

**StartingLine722 – **No worries, my dear. I love Dwayne a lot too and I know that McCena is an amazing pairing, but people seem to be loving McRock too. Yes, I did coin a new one. And Perez Hilton did liken McCena to Becks and Posh!

**Broken.Baby.Gyrl – **That is semi-ironic. But I stop it because I can, I will, and you should know better!!

**RatedRCouture – **Seriously, I know! But I don't think that Jessica would agree that her lips are John's. She's too independent for that… and she might hurricarana you. Just kidding. Maybe. And yeah, more Randy-ness in this chapter for you!

**Dreamin'BIG – **Just don't break my Macbook. Because that would make me unhappy… and when I'm unhappy, Jessica is unhappy. And no one likes that.

**Okay, so now for everyone's favorite part… the poll results!!**

**John Cena- 79 percent**

**The Rock -21 percent**

**Now, I feel like there are a few things I should discuss here.**

**Number one: Heroes.**

**It seems to be a constant topic in my reviews because I love it so much.**

**All I'm gonna say… is that Zachary Quinto seems to be getting hotter and hotter as the season progresses. Seriously… he was amazing as a baddie. Now make him a reformed baddie… and you're going to give me a heart attack. Ooops. He rescued Peter from the coma… too late.**

**Number two: John Cena's return.**

**I will only start watching RAW when he returns… or rather, for his return. Anyone know when that'll be? I'm dying here.**

**Number three: McCena's status.**

**As of right now, to clarify, they're on a break. If you were to look at Facebook, they'd still be engaged. Right now, they need time away from one another, but it's quite clear that John and Jessica still love each other very much.**

**PS: Don't you love John's mom?**

**Number four: Jessica/The Rock pairing.**

**What should I name it? Seriously… my only idea is McRock. So we'd have McRock and McCena.**

**Ideas?**

**That concludes another chapter, and really REALLY long author's note, of She's a Rebel 3: Cupid's Chokehold. **

**As always, read, review, and…**

**ROCK ON!**

**Danielle**


	11. Chapter 11

She wasn't used to this, not a single piece, not any of it.

She wasn't used to sleeping in a double bed, next to another in which someone was snoring.

She wasn't used to staring at the ceiling, wishing she had a box of Benedryl to force her to go to sleep.

She wasn't used to her mind playing games with her emotions, forcing her to silently cry herself to sleep.

But most important of all was the fact that Jessica McMahon wasn't used to feeling cold at night, lacking a strong pair of warm arms wrapped around her, arms which belonged to John Cena.

* * *

It had been an hour since he'd woken up and noticed the tear stains on her cheeks as she sat on the edge of her bed.

He didn't know what he could possibly say anymore. She was miserable and it was completely out of his hands.

Maybe he shouldn't have told her about him and Sam.

For years, Randy had tagged along with Jessica and John as a third wheel. And if someone were to have asked him whether he had envied John, he would have answered yes.

But it wasn't because he had Jessica, it was because he had found a soulmate.

And soulmates always ended up together… right?

* * *

"_It's alright if you don't want to tell me about him, Jessica," the much taller man in front of her assured her, his gaze flickering to the floor and back to her eyes._

"_No," Jessica pushed off of his kitchen counter forcefully in an assertion of her inner strength. "I need to get it off my chest. I need to tell someone. I thought that, with every year that passed, the pain would subside. But the hole in my chest…"_

"_Just gets bigger and bigger?" he offered, nodding in understanding._

_The blonde chewed on her lower lip. "Yeah. It does. And the worst part is that I figured that I'd forget about him, Dwayne. But how do you forget about the person who perpetually carries a piece of your soul?"_

_The bronze-skinned man before her shook his head slowly. "You don't."_

_

* * *

_

"You don't," she repeated aloud, biting on her lip to stop it from quivering.

All of a sudden, she felt a warm hand on her bare shoulder. "Are you alright?"

_Randy._

"Better than I was last night," she replied half-heartedly. "Better, now that you're awake."

Randy was confused. "Why?"

"Those nine hours you were asleep made me feel more alone than I've ever felt in my entire life," she explained sadly, running a hand through her caramel locks. "You always told me that my mind was my most dangerous feature."

The green-eyed wrestler sat down beside her lightly. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"How can I have a bad dream in my sleep when my own life is a living nightmare?"

"Please don't say things like that," Randy replied sadly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I feel horrible when you say that."

Jessica sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Randy.

"I'm sorry… I won't talk about it anymore."

* * *

When the cell phone on the table vibrated, Jessica answered it, refusing to ignore it any longer.

There was nowhere to run anymore, nowhere to hide.

If she was going to straighten out her life, she couldn't wait around another day. She had to do it herself.

"I'm surprised you picked up," the deep voice on the other end replied nonchalantly.

"To be perfectly honest with you, so am I," the blonde responded wistfully, sinking down onto her bed. "I'm sure you have a lot to say, Dwayne. You might as well do it now."

But his reply caught her off guard. "It wasn't necessarily what I wanted to say. It's more like what I wanted to hear."

"If you're expecting an answer…"

"I'm not," he cut her off abruptly. "I just wanted to know if you're okay."

"That's a dumb question," she replied bluntly.

He let out a low chuckle. "Not necessarily, not if it's me who's asking. I don't get to see you backstage every day. I don't get to talk to you after a match. I don't get to see your eyes on television for more than a split second to study them, to see how you're feeling."

"Last time I checked, it was you who left the WWE for Hollywood."

"That still bothers you," Dwayne realized suddenly. "Doesn't it?"

"Of course," Jessica sighed. "You walked out on the business that was in your blood just so you could walk onto movie sets."

"Are you mad because I walked out on the company… or are you really mad because I walked out on you?"

"Both," she answered without hesitation.

There was an audible exhale on the other side of the line before he spoke again, "But more so the latter?"

The caramel blonde shifted uncomfortably on her bed. "Yes."

"But you had John…"

"Two years later," she interrupted him. "But that doesn't mean the hole in my heart got any smaller."

* * *

Walking into the arena sucked, even with Randy matching her pace beside her.

Every step she took elicited a different stare, every breath hurt a little bit more.

Just when she thought the backstage speculation about her and John's relationship had stopped after their engagement, it was starting all over again.

Perhaps they all knew something Jessica didn't.

And as Randy and Jessica rounded a corner, she stopped dead in her tracks, realizing they were right.

John Cena was standing thirty feet in front of her.

* * *

"Let's go the other way," Jessica muttered, beginning to backpedal away from Randy.

"No," the Missouri-native grumbled, his hand locking around her wrist as his emerald gaze set on the man before them, still oblivious to their presence. "We deal with this now."

"Randy, don't!" she whispered urgently.

But it was too late. Randy was already heading straight for John, pulling her along for the ride.

And when he released her, any Plan B she could have formed in her head froze in its place, along with her body.

"Oh, Cena…" he called to him melodiously.

John spun around with a smile, catching sight of Randy first.

It was only after Randy's fist connected with his jaw and knocked him to the floor that John was able to catch sight of the young woman frozen still, in the place where he had once stood.

* * *

"When I said if you 'love her, fight for her,' I did not mean that you should get into a brawl with one of your best friends, John!" Carol exclaimed into her end of the phone.

"He fucking _hit me_, Mom!" John bellowed into the phone, place an ice pack against his cheek, where a bruise was already forming. "What the hell was I supposed to do? Just sit there."

"Don't you use that language with me, young man. I am not one of your backstage buddies… I am your mother!" she growled at him in discontent.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"What you _should_ have done was tried to restrain him and not dislocated his shoulder, John," Carol scolded him. "Now that you've most likely taken both him and yourself out of action, what did you _really _accomplish besides making a complete and utter ass of yourself? Wait 'til your father hears about this…"

John sighed deeply. Twenty-nine years old and his mother still pulled the "father card."

_

* * *

_

_**People Exclusive: No more McCena?**_

_Sources close to the couple report that an affair has lead to the wedding being called off. However, at this time, it is uncertain whom was unfaithful in the relationship._

_This story is currently under investigation. Please check back for updates._

* * *

_**It's Over?!?! **_

_Perezzers has learned from a member of the WWE, who has chosen to remain silent, that there was a blowout at the Tampa home of WWE Superstar __**John Cena**__ and his fiancée, WWE Diva and Executive Vice President __**Jessica McMahon**__._

_The fight, which occurred around ten pm Monday night, resulted in a steaming Cena speeding off into the night, followed by Jessica's exit about an hour later. Residents in nearby houses reported that only John's vehicle returned at around four am Tuesday morning._

_Oh my God?!?! Does that mean McCena is over? Say it ain't so!_

* * *

_**Star Exclusive: We know who cheated!**_

_While studies have found that men cheat far more often than women…_

_**Jessica McMahon**__ turned out to be the culprit in her relationship._

_Reps for both Jessica and John could not be reached._

* * *

_**It's Over?!?!? ***__**Updated**__*****_

_Jessica cheated! Well, allegedly cheated. There are a lot of mixed reports going around backstage at the moment, but that seems to be the overwhelming sentiment._

_She doesn't seem like the cheating type to us!_

_We wonder who it was with?!?_

* * *

_**The Mystery Continues…**_

_As of yet, no one has been able to determine whom __**Jessica McMahon**__ allegedly cheat on __**John Cena**__ with._

_Star Magazine has learned that it was definitely Jessica, but rumors are floating around as to whom her affair was with._

* * *

_**US WEEKLY Exclusive: Jessica McMahon's love is in the WWE!**_

_According to a mole backstage, the man whom Jessica cheated on her fiancé with works in World Wrestling Entertainment. However, it is not clear at the moment exactly who that man is._

* * *

_**Could it be?**_

_One of our friends behind the scenes of the WWE told yours truly that while the mystery man __**Jessica McMahon**__ had an affair with is still a mystery, estranged fiancé, __**John Cena**__, and fellow wrestler/uber-hottie __**Randy Orton**__, had to be separated as a result of a backstage brawl just over an hour ago._

_Maybe the mystery is solved._

_Although, Perezettes, while we think Orton's bad-boy image is equally as appealing to us, McOrton doesn't really have the same ring to it as McCena._

_

* * *

_

"An hour, Jessica!" the man before her boomed in frustration. "All it took was a fucking hour. This shit is everywhere!"

"It's not my fault!" she seethed back, rising from her chair. "I wanted to turn around and walk away… but you know how stubborn Randy is, Dad! You know that once he's made up his mind, there's no stopping him. I can't even do that and I've known him for years!"

"You're lucky that this will probably generate enough publicity that ratings will spike or I'd be furious with you right now for your lack of decorum," Vince shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"_My _lack of decorum?" her voice hit an almost-shrill tone as her eyes widened incredulously. "Are you kidding me? You're the man who wanted to turn Stephanie's pregnancy into a storyline that concluded with Shane being revealed as the father! Oh, and you know, there's that little issue of someone backstage who is reporting to People, Us Weekly, and Perez Hilton! But yeah, you're right. _My_ lack of decorum is such a problem…"

Vince ground his teeth together. "When I made you an Executive Vice President within this company you were the one child of mine I thought was the most professional and could handle it the best… and even after having surgery, your dedication to your work was unparalleled, Jessica.

"And then you got engaged to Cena and I couldn't help but believe that you were going to be the one who got to live the fairy tale life. What happened, Jess?"

Jessica's hazel eyes bore into her father's intently as she searched for some sort of meaning. "Are you asking me where it went wrong or why I did it?"

He shrugged silently. "I'm just asking what happened that caused Randy to attack your fiancé and spurn all of these tabloids?"

"I have to get ready for my match," his blonde daughter sighed and then retreated away from his desk, heading for the door.

"It's true, you know," she added, turning around to look at him again. "About the blowout that John and I had in Tampa. We did have a huge fight and I left, stayed with Dave for a few days, then with Randy while Dave was traveling with Smackdown. And there is a very good reason we're not speaking to each other.

"But I need you to know that while I don't want to discuss it at length right now, I never cheated on John. However, there is someone out there who wants to break us up because he wants me for himself. It was only today that I came to realize it wasn't meant to be malicious; you can't help who you fall in love with.

"Right now, they're all wrong… the tabloids, the moles. Everyone. But sooner or later, someone's going to figure it out. And when they finally write about the correct person, Dad, you'll know it's the truth. You just have to trust me that in the end, I'll make a decision. And it'll be the right one. You know me too well not to believe that."

* * *

"This next match is a beat the clock match," Lillian Garcia announced into her microphone. "And it is to determine the number one contender to the Women's Championship. Making her way to the ring, from San Bernadino, California… Victoria!"

The raven-haired Diva strode down to the squared circle, greeted by a chorus of boos as she ducked through the ropes.

Quickly, though, her once-black and red hair turned green from the lights swirling around her.

_She's a Rebel. She's a saint. She's the salt of the earth… and she's dangerous._

At the top of the ramp, illuminated in purple and green lighting, stood Jessica McMahon, a woman with more pent up aggression than anyone else in the WWE tonight.

While in the past few weeks, she hadn't partaken in a match… tonight, she needed it.

"And making her way to the ring, hailing from West Newbury, Massachusetts, Jessica McMahon!"

Previously, Melina had defeated Maria in five minutes, putting her ahead of the other Divas, so as she made her way to the ring, her strategizing blocked out all the noise around her.

And it wasn't until the bell had rung that she wondered if the crowd had booed or cheered her as she had entered.

_Under five, Jessica. Under five._

She studied Lisa as they waited to lock up. She knew this had to be done in under five and her opponent was a lot more skilled than Maria was.

This had to be legitimate.

And then it dawned on her.

* * *

"I don't know how she's going to do this, King," JR wondered aloud into his headset. "Maria isn't nearly as skilled as Victoria is… and that could cost Jessica."

"The same goes for Victoria, JR," Jerry Lawler reminded his broadcasting partner. "Jessica is a much fiercer competitor than Maria. It's going to take a lot for either woman to defeat the other."

"You've got that right."

* * *

As Victoria took a lunge to lock up like she usually did, Jessica ducked under her arms, locked them around her waist from behind, and suplexed her backwards.

The blonde dragged the psychotic Diva, who was consumed with pain from the powerful fall, into the center of the ring and smirked.

Inflicting pain upon another, even if it was just in character, was more fulfilling than anything else she could have done that night.

After folding her legs back into a triangle, Jessica arched over, her black PVC tank rising up to expose her midriff above her matching pants that bore her initials in sparkly pink calligraphy.

_Blackout time._

* * *

"I don't know what has come over Jessica McMahon, King, but there is a fire in her eyes that I have never seen out of her before!"

"It's borderline sinister, JR," Lawler agreed, marveling at the quick match.

"So there you have it, folks… Jessica McMahon has beat the clock at forty-five seconds and will face Mickie James at New Year's Resolution."

"I would NOT want to be in Mickie's position come January first, JR," the former wrestler assured his partner. "And that's really saying something."

* * *

"Jess!" a feminine voice called out to her as she pushed through the door into the Diva's locker room. "Where are you going?"

"In here," she shrugged, removing her change of clothes from her black duffel bag. "Why?"

"I just thought…" the woman trailed off and then avoided her friend's gaze.

Jessica tried to smile reassuringly. "Lisa, it's okay. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Lisa Varon nodded and sat down on the bench next to Jessica's bag. "For what it's worth, I know you… and I know you wouldn't do what they say you've done. I know there's more to the story than that."

"I appreciate that, Lisa. You're one of few people I know here that hasn't jumped to any conclusions. I don't know why you haven't, but nonetheless, I am still grateful."

"Come on, Jess…" she laughed, catching the other girl off guard. "You know that I'm a corporate slave that only thinks what my bosses tell me to believe."

* * *

"You're so lucky that Jessica got me off of you and I didn't fucking kill you," Randy seethed. "So fucking lucky."

"Oh, yeah… cause she would do that," John spat back at him as they sat in separate chairs in Vince's office, waiting for him to return with a decision as to what to do with them after having chewed both men out a few minutes ago.

Randy's breathing became staggered. "You son of a bitch. You don't even KNOW what you're doing to her."

"What I'm doing?!? She kissed another man! Who wasn't me!"

"Hey, genius… did you ever stop to listen to what she had to say? Did you ever look at her?"

John's eyes grew cloudy. "I can't look at her."

"You can't or you won't?" he challenged him with a deadly glare.

"I can't look at her, Randy," John repeated himself.

"Why the hell not?" Randy demanded to know. "Why can't you look at Jessica?"

"Because every time I look at her all I can see is an image of her marrying Dwayne and not me!" he blurted out at once and then turned quiet, staring out into space.

Randy sighed heavily, staring at the bluish bruise on his forearm. "I'm sorry… not for this conversation, but for hitting you."

"Yeah, me too. Truth be told, I'm sorry for a lot of things," John lamented honestly, staring at the video feed in Vince's office of Jessica's match. "Especially turning her into that."

"I've never seen her so furious in the ring… she's overshadowing Lisa," Randy marveled. "She's so…"

"Aggressive?" John offered, his gaze finding Randy's before returning to the screen.

"Yeah."

The Massachusetts native shook his head in shame. "What have I done to her?"

His friend sighed, "More than what you see on that screen. You'd have to really look at her to see it, John."

"I-I can't," he rubbed a strong hand over his face. "I don't want to know."

"Yes, you do," the emerald-eyed wrestler countered confidently. "You do because you love her. And you know, if you did… you'd see that she's still wearing your ring."

John's head shot up with the first hint of a smile Randy had seen since punching him. "She is?"

"She is," Randy answered returning the smile. "It's on her right hand though, not her left."

John nodded in understanding. "It's still a start."

The talking outside the door was getting louder, signaling that Vince was on his way.

"Listen, John… no matter what Vince does to us now, you need to know something. You need to know that right now, Jessica is hurting, a lot. But she still loves you, equally as much as she is hurting," he explained slowly, words now audible outside the door. "It's going to take a lot to win her back and it's not going to be easy, but it's worth it. It's worth spending your entire life with someone you love."

"Thanks, Randy."

As the hand on the door behind them reached for the knob, Randy turned to John one last time.

"You let your soulmate go once before, John. Don't do it again… because this time, she won't come back."

And as Vince McMahon strutted into the room, pure anger evident on his worn face, John was unsure as to what was going to happen next.

But there was one thing he did know: Randy Orton was right.

* * *

**A/N: I promised a double update and here it is! She's a Rebel III!**

**I had the tabloids part of this chapter, as well as a few key quotes, previously written, but tonight, for some reason, I was inspired. I think it was John's return last week… although I didn't get to watch RAW tonight because I passed out at 7:30.**

**Also, a new song off of Britney Spears's album, Circus, called Out From Under, was an INCREDIBLE help to me. She deserves a plug for pulling me out of my writer's block and helping me out with coming up with more ideas for chapters.**

**That being said, I'm glad we're coming back. And we're just about halfway through right now.**

**As you can see, Jessica is softening up to the idea of Dwayne and John's going to have competition for her heart. In the beginning, there was no competition whatsoever, but in not trusting his fiancée, he created one. Frustrating, no? He thinks so.**

**There will be a really cute moment between John and Jess coming up in the next few chapters.**

**One of which involves a certain puppy that Jessica never picked up. No, I didn't forget about the puppy… it was intentionally pushed back until this story. It'll be explained shortly.**

**But, for certain, you're going to see a lot about the decision that you know Jessica has to make down the road in the rest of the story. That means a lot of commentary, which I left out of this one because I thought it wouldn't lend anything to this chapter whatsoever.**

**The poll stands as this:**

**John Cena – 75 percent**

**The Rock – 25 percent**

**I'm interested to see if this changes after this chapter.**

**By the way, be sure to check out both Jessica's blog on my profile, as well as the THREE NEW BANNERS posted for Cupid's Chokehold! Yay!**

**Anyhoo… I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Shout-outs:**

**CanadianBrunete619 – **Oh my God, I did not know about that story. I have to go and read it! YAY! And just write them down because nothing sucks worse than having awesome ideas and forgetting them!

**Aaron W – **Don't write anyone off just yet… that scene happens to be very important later on.

**CamieAnn **– Thank you! I won't EVER abandon this story. Sometimes, Rutgers University just owns my life. But it can never take my soul!

**Sambolina – **Haha. I think this one might have made you freak out more.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 **– Your wish is clearly my command. He's not going to let her go without a fight. And he's baaaaaaack.

**Nic-002001 **– Haha. Guess what? I updated again! I think you're right, John does have issues with leaving when things get really really hard. But I think that losing Jessica is making him confront that now. And her way of deal at the moment, is being a very, VERY aggressive competitor.

**Dj-ssdd – **It IS an insane amount of money. And yep, I concur with the whole John needing to get his head out of his ass thing. I think Randy might have gotten it loose in this chapter though. Hehe.

**StarSixtyNine – **This time I updated while you're in town, so now you can't complain! And yeah, there would go the story. Good thing my age and legality overrule you. Hehe. I think that Randy and Jess need each other more than either would like to admit. While Jessica and John have a strong bond, Randy is more inclined to stick around when things get bad. It would be interesting to have seen what might have been between the two of them if John was never in her life. But, of course, it's either Dwayne or John… with Randy, forever, as the best friend. And I'm alright with that.

**Westfan **– I know you love Randy… I'm totally playing to everyone's current spike in Randy love, as of late. I know there was no Dave in this chapter, but there was Randy. And you're going to love the punishment that Vince gives John. It actually will explain A LOT from last year. Quite funny. I love how I'm almost EXACTLY two years behind reality. But that's alright… because once I finish this story, I'll jump to just under a year behind. I can't sit around and wait for the WWE, right?

**Mrs Bass-Malfoy – **I don't mind McCayne. I think that's actually not a bad one at all. Hmmm….

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **I saw! Holy jeez, what made him do that! And like I said to a few people, I think Randy has kind of knocked John's head loose now.

**ThatGirl54** – I think that John's return… without his Super Cena gimmick… has been fantastic and a breath of fresh air on Raw.

**Cena-holic8 – **Thank you! I'm really trying to keep myself up to date on… well, updates. BUT, with winter intersession coming up, which means a month off for me, I should be slaving over my laptop soon enough.

**Indy Milk – **Sometimes, pregnancy storylines get so predictable that I want to shoot myself. BUT, they can, and have, been done very well. Good luck with the story. What's it about?

**Purplefeather21 – **Yeah, poor Jess indeed. And don't think that Paul is out of the woods just yet. Someone VERY scary, scarier than Dave, is going to get a hold of him and straighten his ass out. And no, it's not John. Many people would have thought Randy would have been on John's side, including Jess, but in life, you sometimes get pleasant surprises. As for Heroes, my messed up sleeping habits prevented me from watching tonight, but I LOVE Zachary Quinto right now. Sylar is drifting between having a conscious and surpressing it, so I'm definitely addicted to him right now!

**Dreamin'BIG – **Haha. Frakin'. Sorry, Scrubs moment. Haha, don't be hatin' on the Rock, lol.

**RKO-kid 099 – **Thank you so much for your kind words! I know that people don't WANT Jess to wind up with Dwayne, but they're kind of getting to know how he feels about her. So, I don't think they'd feel as though he'd treat Jess badly… they just would be happier if she would up with Cena.

**Chain Gang Princess – **It's alright… you know I understand commitments! Damn, college! I must admit though, looking back on all of my comedic lines, nothing will ever top Stephanie's toast at Jessica's 28th birthday dinner in SAR II: "What do you say about the sister who once punched you in the face and made you bleed on Thanksgiving?" Sometimes, she's such a scenestealer. And yeah, ZQ is love!

**OneAndOnlyHardyGirl – **I'm so happy that John is back. But what happened to number one, haha? As I post more and more chapters, I am exponentially impressed with readers like you who read the whole series in two days. Although, I DID read the four novels of the Twilight series in four days. So much for school…

**AlexiaCalaway – **Haha. Those are two excellent words. As for "Goddess," you'll probably have to wait until April for me to finish up entirely, but I'm going to try and knock out as many chapters as I can over intersession. I promise, though, you'll know, most likely, in the second to last chapter of the story what her last name turns out to be. But it will either be Johnson or Cena. Clearly.

**RatedRCouture – **Carol makes me laugh. I can just picture her kicking those five boys' butts, even now. Like I said before, in not trusting his own fiancée, he made it into a competition.

**Well, that's all for now, but I hope to have one more chapter posted before finals. Just don't tell my mom!**

**Let me know what you think of Chapter 11 (no, not the type of bankruptcy), Jess's blog, and the SAR III banners!**

**Rock on!**

**Danielle**


	12. Chapter 12

Looking at the full length mirror in the hotel after yet another Raw, Jessica was beginning to like what she was seeing.

It had been over two months since she'd donned any sort of wrestling attire, busy playing valet to John while working a lot harder behind the scenes.

But two Raw's had gone by and she had wrestled on both.

"Something about the aggression is freeing, I don't know," the blonde explained into the phone, examining her attire in the mirror.

The woman on the other end agreed, "It's your way of dealing with the pain. I know that freeing feeling. It's… it's because it's no longer just sitting around in your head, simmering, driving you crazy."

* * *

_**You're probably wondering what made me finally decide to discuss my problems with Amy. It's quite simple, really.**_

_**All I had to do was clarify and fill in a few mystery names. I mean, my entire situation was in every tabloid across America, sometimes in other countries too.**_

_**So on certain days, when Randy and Dave wouldn't do, I picked Amy's brain instead.**_

* * *

Jessica sighed, "Sometimes I feel like I should have told you in the first place. You would have given me the right advice, I know it."

"Maybe," Amy replied with a slight hint of uncertainty to her voice. "But honestly, skipping over a really emotional storytelling session punctuated by pouring your heart out to me would have made me walk on eggshells around you. Being able to tell it like it is, without those memories, really helps."

"You're a strange child, you know that?" Jessica chuckled over the phone, holding up a hanger with a new pair of pants over the ones she was currently wearing.

Just as she'd finished her sentence, however, a dull click was audible and the hotel room door opened.

"Playing dress up, Jess?" Randy arched an eyebrow at her.

"Speaking of strange children…" she muttered. "At least I can pass a mirror without having to look in it and check my reflection."

He rolled his emerald green eyes at her.

"Ames, I've got to go…" Jessica told her friend on the phone. "Randy's acting like a two year old and I don't think I have the mental capacity to talk to both him and you at the same time."

Amy laughed on the other end of the phone, "Desle infierno, chica."

"Oh si, yo hago," she replied, her eyes narrowing at Randy as Amy hung up the phone.

"Oooh, Spanish! Listen to you, all feisty!" Randy chuckled as he hugged her, pulling her much smaller body into his warm chest. "You're getting better, you know that?"

"Thanks," she smiled appreciatively and pulled away from him. "You help me more than you know."

"Yeah," he laughed and flopped back on her bed. "I'm glad I'm not Victoria or Melina. They've been your human punching bags."

"Um, my bed!" she protested, walking to the edge of the mattress and staring at him.

"So?"

With a smirk and little warning, Jessica launched herself onto Randy. "You _could_ be my human punching bag too, if you want."

"Nope," he shook his head and shoved her off to his right side. "I'm good."

* * *

"Hey, Randy?" Jessica asked, turning her head to look at him beside her on top of the bed.

He swiveled his head to meet her gaze. "Yeah?"

"Do you ever think?"

"On occasion…"

She chuckled slightly and shook her head. "No, I meant do you ever think about us? I mean, what could have been if there was no John Cena in my life?"

He smiled and nodded slowly. "I have, yes. But each time, I come to realize it wouldn't be the same."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't be the same… you wouldn't have been with Diana all those years," he explained. "If your dad had gone to West Newbury, but didn't see you hit it off with John, you wouldn't have stayed there."

"You're right…"

"Always am," he smirked at the blonde. "And I am very thankful for Cena."

Jessica was perplexed. "Why is that?"

"That would have meant another Stephanie running around here."

"Oh," Jessica grinned. "Yeah. It's just weird to think about becoming like my sister. But you and I… would have been interesting to say the least."

"Maybe," he shrugged and then stared up at the ceiling. "But I think that you would have found John eventually or he would have found you."

Inquisitively, Jessica propped herself up on her elbow. "You really think so, Randy?"

For a few moments, he continued to look above him at the white plaster. Then he nodded and turned to face her. "Yes, I do."

* * *

It was going to be like this every night for the rest of his life, he was sure of it.

He had possessed everything he could have asked for in a woman: a lover, a best friend… he'd even left another woman because he'd known she'd never be the love of his life.

So what had he done after finding her? Not believed her when it mattered most.

And so John Cena sat, alone in the dark, dwelling on the shattered pieces of his future.

Well, one piece in particular.

* * *

"_I didn't kiss him, John!" she assured him, roughly running her hands through her hair. "He kissed me. I don't want him, John. I want you."_

"_I just need to think, Jess…"_

"_About what?"_

"_About us!" John sniped back in an outburst. "I need to clear my mind, Jess. It's not all about you, you know. Maybe I don't want to be your fiancé anymore."_

How could he even ask her to take him back after what he'd done?

And while it pained him to admit it, John knew that if she had decided to move on, whether it was with Dwayne or not, he wouldn't even blame her one bit.

* * *

A knock on the door early the following morning knocked John from his slumber, which had only begun four hours prior.

Throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank top, he crossed the room to answer the door, sleepiness evident in his crystalline blue eyes.

On the other side of the door stood a young man, about five years younger than himself, in uniform.

"Good morning, Mr. Cena. I was given specific instructions to give you this as soon as possible," he stated simply and politely, extending a plain linen envelope to him. "Apparently, it's quite urgent."

John took the letter from his hand, but before he could look up, the young man was gone.

"Weird," he mumbled and began to tear open the envelope, kicking the door shut with his foot.

_Dear John,_

_I know it has been a while since I last spoke to you, but I had to write. I couldn't let things escalate any further without offering my two cents._

_While you and I never really spent a lot of time together outside of company events and a few celebratory occasions, Jessica is still one of my best friends and I feel that as her friend, it is my duty to help her in any way I can. That being said, what I am about to tell you must stay between you and I. If she, or someone else, were to read this letter, I would surely incur some sort of wrath._

_I've known Dwayne just as long as I've known Jessica. Perhaps, I've known her a smidgeon longer, but not much. As a result, I understand her in ways that only another girl could… especially when it comes to her emotional state._

_Before you jump to any conclusions, I have not spoken to Jess regarding the current situation. However, that doesn't mean that I don't know how her mind works._

_I'm not going to necessarily throw my support to either you or Dwayne. Instead, I'm going to tell you something that you should really take seriously._

_I know that you love her. A lot. And while choosing Dwayne might not be what you want her to do, we both know that you just want her to be happy. Right now, John… she's not happy. And it's because she has to choose between the two of you._

_I'm not telling you to give up on her, but I'm asking you, from the bottom of my heart, to make things easier for her. _

_Don't force her to make a choice until she's ready. In the meantime, stay in her good graces because I know that being away from her is killing you. Be the man you always were, John… be her best friend._

_After all, that's the man you always have been… and always will be, even if her decision isn't the one you want._

_Love always,_

_Trish_

_

* * *

_

"Who the hell is texting you at seven thirty in the morning, McMahon?" Randy groaned, burying his head under one of his pillows.

"I don't know!" Jessica whined, ripping her cell off of the end table between the two beds and glancing at it. "John."

Randy shot up from the bed. "What did he say?"

"Jess, I need to talk to you. Meet me downstairs for breakfast? I promise, I'll be on my best behavior. John," she read aloud to him and then looked over at her friend. "What do I do?"

A small smile eased across his chiseled face. "You go."

* * *

It had taken her about forty minutes to get ready. After deciding on a pair of faded blue jeans and a black sweater, Jessica found herself in an elevator descending to the lobby of the hotel.

However, when the elevator doors opened, she stepped out, only to be pushed back inside.

Jessica's hazel eyes were fixated on the man who had forced her back inside. "What was that for?"

He sighed and pressed a button on the panel, sending them upward. "The paparazzi is swarming the restaurant and the hotel. The staff is struggling to keep them out of the lobby. I didn't want you to have to face them too."

"Thank you," she nodded appreciatively and then noticed the cut on his arm that was already surrounded by yellowing skin. "Are you alright?" she asked, lightly grazing his arm with her fingers.

"What?" he turned around to face her and then looked down at his arm. "Just a scratch, nothing serious. Who knew photographers could be so violent?"

"Yeah…" Jessica trailed off as the elevator slowed to a halt. "Where are we going, John?"

He let her step out first and then followed. "Since I'm sure Sleeping Beauty is still comatose in your room, I figured that I'd move breakfast to mine. It's the only really safe place to eat," John began, but then stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. It's just hard to get used to."

"No, no…" the blonde waved him off. "It's fine. Really, lead the way. I trust you."

A bright grin flashed across John's face as he and Jessica began walking to his room.

Her words had given him something he hadn't felt in weeks: hope.

* * *

**And the truth was that I did trust John with my life because I knew that he would never let anything bad happen to me under his watch. Twenty-plus years of friendship and a little over a year of dating had proven that to me over and over again.**

**But I also trusted Dwayne. On many occasions, I had literally put my life in his hands in the ring during tag matches and while engaging in stunts for storylines that he would never consent to now that he's a little bit older.**

**However, trust was never the issue. The issue at hand was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.**

**And while I never gave any indication otherwise, something dawned on me as I sat and ate breakfast with John that morning.**

**Either Dwayne or John was going to be my husband… and the other was going to be relegated to just being my best friend again. **

**And whoever that man was, I was dooming him to a lifetime of pain and what-if's.**

* * *

"_I've consulted numerous members of my team," Vince began, attempting to control his temper once more. "Personally, I think that I'm letting you BOTH off easy, but for the sake of my daughter, and my sanity, I will not be as severe as I would have liked."_

_Both men silently nodded, bracing myself for the worst._

"_Mr. Orton," the older man with graying temples addressed his employee. "For the next three months, you will have lost your travel entitlements. You will lose your rental upgrade, your first class status, and your private hotel room. I suggest you start looking for a roommate before we head out tonight, as this punishment is in effect immediately."_

"_Yes, sir," Randy agreed respectfully, reminding him of his days in the Marines._

"_As for you, Mr. Cena," Vince began, pausing for a moment to calm himself. "It's a very good thing that I have people I consult with because if it was up to the father in me, superstar or not, I'd have suspended you for a year. Nevertheless, I still have to punish you for what company rules you have violated tonight. Starting next week, you'll be working a new program."_

"_Sir, I thought I was supposed to be feuding with Eddie?" John asked, referencing the wrestler better known as Umaga._

_His boss smirked. "Oh, you still are. You're pulling double duty."_

"_So who am I feuding with?"_

"_Surely, Mr. Cena, you've heard of Britney Spears…"_

* * *

"Dad is making you feud with Kevin Federline?!?" Jessica asked incredulously, attempting to stifle her laughter.

"I do believe he prefers to go by the name K-Fed," John corrected her in mock-seriousness.

"Does my sister not realize that we've spent over two years trying to wipe away your Vanilla Ice gimmick?" she chuckled with a shake of her head. "We don't need another gangster-wanna be."

John flashed her a crooked smile. "I met him already. Well, for a few minutes. He's actually a pretty chill guy. I met his son, Sean, too. Really cute kid."

"What about Britney?"

He laughed, "Obviously, I didn't meet her. Those would have been the first words out of my mouth."

Jessica laughed too. "Right. Obviously."

"It's worth it, though. Pulling double duty," John explained himself. "I mean, I got to deck Orton for once. Do you know how many times I've wanted to do that in my life?"

"I bet you it's not nearly as often as I have," she challenged him. "But _you_ got to… and I'm jealous."

"I'll tell you what, if I can arrange for you to take on Britney as a punishment… will you punch Orton?"

"Wait a second," Jessica scrunched her nose in confusion. "How does punching my current roommate help me at all? You just want to see me roll around in a ring with Britney Spears."

His boyish grin returned. "I'm a warm-blooded male. What else did you expect?"

The young woman shook her head. "Idiot."

"Well, this idiot read an email from Merrimac Kennels before he left this morning," John countered, taking a bite of eggs from his plate. "And they finally have more than one female in a chocolate litter… six females, five males. Who would have guessed that two litters would be born with only one female?"

"I see," she nodded quietly.

The wrestler placed his fork down lightly on his plate. "Whatever you and I are right now… it doesn't matter. She's still yours. I bought her as a companion for you while you were recovering and I wasn't around. I know it's kind of empty in West Newbury these days. Maybe she can make it a little less lonely."

The corner of her mouth twitched upward. "Thank you. When do they want us to go?"

John did a double take. "_Us?_"

She nodded slowly. "I mean, if you don't want to go, it's okay. I understand."

"No," he answered quickly, a little too overzealous in his opinion. "I'll go. I'd like to... it's this weekend. You can even bring her home that day. It'll be fun. I mean, lots of little Labrador puppies running around… who doesn't like that?"

"Apparently, not even big meatheads."

"Not too much," he shook his head with a playful smile, his azure eyes sparkling. "They soften us, you know."

"Yeah," Jessica tucked a few strands of blonde hair behind her ear and smiled in amusement as she reached for her glass of orange juice. "I wouldn't want that to happen."

* * *

**A/N: So I ended with some McCena cuteness for the first time in a while. I figured you guys might like to see it. And look! I gave a timely update! TWO in a two week span! Oh my God! And the week of Finals! (Shhh… don't tell my mother)**

**Speaking of updates and stories.. I am rather shamelessly plugging myself to all of you Heroes fans out there. I started my own fic about Heroes and it's a Peter/OC story. PLEASE check it out… it's called "Fix You." I mean, yeah… the OC is named Danielle and shares a lot of my traits, but her power is pretty damn remarkable, if I dare say so myself. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Read and review!**

**Okay, back to SAR III. You can thank the lovely boys of NSync for this chapter and my re-inspiration because I was running dry on this one. I'm reinvigorated now. My goal is to have this story done before Valentines' Day. I hope to crank out about 6 more chapters by the end of January, while I'm on intersession. That'll leave me with three or four more chapters to go… and the big-reveal chapter is written.**

**I do need your opinion though. Should it be the last chapter? I am going to write a wedding scene, but I want to know... should the last chapter be the wedding or should I make it into a one-shot called She's a Rebel III.5: The Wedding? Or something like that. Let me know.**

**By the way, there will be a new poll up in a few weeks. I'm not sure what it's going to be regarding yet, though.**

**Onto the shout outs:**

**Hayley – **I will totally admit that I haven't seen any pay-per-views in forever… BUT I managed to find someone on my floor who purchased the webcast. It was fantastic. And I totally get the Twilight reference in that name! You know what else needs to die? Finals. Kill me please.

**ThatGirl54 – **Jessica is going to get her title shot at New Year's Revolution indeed. But something infinitely more important than that is going to happen before hand, as well. You just inadvertently inspired me as to how she's going to choose. YAY! Thank you!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Interesting point. Thank you!!!

**StarSixtyNine – **I bet this was a little fuzzier this time. Fluffier, dare I say. I will totally full-nelson slam him if you like. I would pull off a moonsault or a hurricarana, but I'm not really sure how much space there is in the room and this might be a little dangerous as a result.

**Cena-holic8 – **I'm trying to leave you guys hanging for a little less time. Even I must admit that it totally sucks when you have to wait a full month for an update. Trust me, it sucks when I'm trying to absorb all of this information that my professors throw at me while I've got all of these ideas swirling around in my head. And please, Cena is ALWAYS looking fine!!!!

**Sambolina – **There was definitely some Randy/Jessica fluff in this one too. I love Randy… and I love to use him for fluffy purposes. Well, he's pretty much my go-to-guy. I mean, John needs some sense knocked into him… Randy. Jessica needs to be talked down… Randy. I swear, if Jess needs a dog walker… Randy!

**Dreamin'BIG – **Ahhh! I'm glad that my goal has been accomplished. I don't want to make Dwayne out to be a bad guy… because he isn't. You can't help who you fall for… and I think he really struggles with it. That's why he really didn't tell her. He didn't want her to be pained in having to choose and hurt the person she's with, but it was a greater pain for him to suffer in silence. When Jess is hurting, it greatly affects him.

**OneAndOnlyHardyGirl – **I missed John a lot. I'm so excited for the show on the 27th! It's going to be a blastie blast! I haven't seen him in FOREVER.

**Hotpocketbandit – **Thanks so much. Number one, I love your penname. It's adorable. Number two, I'm glad that you enjoy my writing. There are a lot of great stories out there and I'm honored that mine is worthy of such high praise.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Such an animal that she's likely to deck him… okay, maybe not. But can you imagine if she did? Randy would never let him hear the end of it, let alone his brothers. Haha. And he totally brought out the reserve oil.

**Westfan – **Like I told Sambolina, I adore Randy and therefore, use him as much as possible. You know Dave will be around, of course. Her Superbee is still at his house! Plus, I think he's going to be the one that says something to Jess, which, in turn, makes her choose. Or makes her realize exactly what to do so that she makes the right choice. You'll see. As for the punishment, I thought of it the other day while listening to "Womanizer." It made me laugh. Speaking of living, I'm going to take my own dog during intersession up to NYC for two weeks. Dakota and Homer under the same roof… *rolls eyes*. And in the same car on Christmas Eve to Virginia. No Range Rover is big enough for the four of us.

**Nic-002001 – **She will, I promise. Once SAR III ends, it will be the end of romantic turmoil for her.

**Chain Gang Princess – **You know I don't mind late reviews! Randy is definitely hot when he's angry. I hope this quicker update helped!!!

**So, that's pretty much it for now. For those of you out there completing finals, good luck! I feel your pain… and your thirst for energy drinks!!!**

**And my musical recommendation of the day is Lily Allen's cover of "Womanizer." It's quirky… and I like it.**

**Make sure to check out Jess's blog!**

**Danielle**


	13. Chapter 13

South Florida was a little cooler than it normally was around the holiday season, but it was still substantially warmer than anywhere up the East Coast.

Dwayne Johnson still knew that it could be used as an excuse to ask Jessica to fly down to Miami for a few days, a means of getting her away from Cena. Rather, it'd be a means to get her out from the protection of Orton and Bautista.

He groaned in disgust as he began to tear open some of his mail.

The two of them made him nauseous sometimes. Did they honestly believe that he didn't know what they were doing by constantly making plans with her? He was the one who had originated the protective role in her life back in the 90's.

Soon, however, he was reminded of another person from those days as he stared at the letter in his hands.

_Dear Dwayne,_

_It feels like it's been ages since I last spoke to you. In fact, it probably has been. I'm sure that by now, you've realized that the date of wedding has passed. You remember Ron, right? He's a nice guy, Dwayne, and I've known him for a very long time, certainly well before I found success in the WWE. I think the fact that he thought I was something long before anyone, including Vince McMahon, did is something that has kept us strong over the years._

_I'm sorry to hear about you and Dany splitting up. I always thought she was an incredibly nice woman and I know you both adore your daughter very much. If either of you, or Simone for that matter, ever need anything… please, don't hesitate to ask. It may have been a while since we last talked, but I still consider you a friend. And I know you would have come to the wedding if your schedule had allowed._

_It is because I value your friendship that I feel compelled to offer my two cents to you right now._

_In the years leading up to your eventual retirement, you, Jessica, and I spent a lot of time together. As a result, I came to see you as the older brother I never had. Nonetheless, I've known her a smidgeon longer than I've known you, but not much. Subsequently, I understand her in ways that only another girl could… especially when it comes to her emotional state._

_Before you jump to any conclusions, I have not spoken to Jess regarding the current situation. However, that doesn't mean that I don't know how her mind works._

_I'm not going to necessarily throw my support to either you or John. Instead, I'm going to tell you something that you should really take seriously._

_I know that you care about her, Dwayne. I really do. But I know, that above all, you just want her to be happy. She may make her decision today, she might make it next month, or next year. No matter when the decision takes place and what she decides, you need to accept it, even if her choice isn't you. The amount of pain she has experienced as a result of all this is astounding and there is no reason for her to go through it again._

_I hope that someday, when this all passes, we can sit down and talk, friend to friend once more. Perhaps, catch up on the direction our lives have taken us. I, for one, look forward to it._

_Love always,_

_Trish_

* * *

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Sean?" the much older man seated at the kitchen table replied, barely looking up from his morning newspaper.

The young man continued to stare out the window as the water began to pool on the dish he had just placed in the sink. "Is John supposed to come home today?"

His father turned a page and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "No, son. Not until Christmastime in two weeks."

"Then why is his car parked outside of Jessica's house?"

The elder Cena pulled his glasses off of his face and turned to his youngest son in shock. "What?"

* * *

"We should really leave within the hour if we want to get there on time."

The blonde looked over at him from the frame on her wall. "Hmm?"

"I said that we should really leave within the hour if we want to get there on time," he repeated and then caught sight of the picture she was staring at. "I'm sorry… I can leave you alone if you want."

Begrudgingly, her eyes tore away from the photo of her grandparents' wedding day.

"No, it's fine," Jessica waved him off. "Too long and I'll start to cry. It's just hard to believe that it's been so long since she's been gone."

"Grandma Catherine was even less than that," John replied in understanding. "I understand, Jess."

"I don't know," the hazel-eyed woman sighed. "I had only a few years with Grandpa, sporadic moments, you know? But Grandma…" she trailed off and found herself in need of extra composure before continuing. "She made me who I am. For eleven years, I saw her nearly every morning and every night. Even after college, I talked to her every day. All of these years, I've thought that maybe, someday, the hole in my heart would heal…"

"But it hasn't," John finished for her softly. "Mine hasn't either. It only got bigger."

Jessica nodded silently. "Yes, exactly."

The sapphire-eyed twenty-nine year old rubbed a hand over his slightly lengthened hair. "And then, this year… it got bigger again."

Immediately, Jess's gaze dropped to her feet. She knew exactly what he meant.

"We should probably get going."

* * *

The entire drive to the kennel was virtually silent with Jessica occasionally stating the next step on the directions he had handed her a half an hour ago.

It was awkward, exactly what John had wanted it not to be.

"We're here," he mumbled, throwing the car into park. "You might want to put your coat on. We're going to have to walk to the kennel."

The blonde nodded and reached for her jacket in the backseat, the scent of her shampoo drifting across the car towards John.

For a moment, he reveled in it and then caught himself, whipping open the driver's side door in frustration. "I'm going to go ring the doorbell at let them know we're here."

The twenty-eight year old winced as it shut roughly. "Okay," she whispered.

* * *

"You must be Jessica!" a voice exclaimed brightly from the lawn of the sprawling estate in front of her.

Jessica tightened the belt on her black pea coat with her gloved hands. "That'd be me."

"Lisa," the dark-haired woman in her mid-thirties replied with a smile and extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jessica gripped her hand and shook it. "Believe me, today… the pleasure is all mine."

Lisa grinned. "Quite right. Shall we go pick out your puppy?"

Her hazel eyes flitted over to John, who was still visible behind Lisa as he towered over her. Reflexively, he looked away.

Jessica's gaze fixed back on Lisa. "Absolutely."

"Good!" the breeder remarked brightly. "Follow me."

John and Jessica began to follow the woman down the gravel path that led to a relatively large building, remaining quiet the whole time.

Lisa pushed open a door and immediately, found themselves surrounded by dogs in spacious dog runs for each of them. The females were on their right and the males were on their left.

"This is where we keep the litters," she explained, opening a frosted glass door ahead of her.

Immediately, five viewing windows appeared, a plain wooden door beside each.

"Can we see the puppies through the window?" Jessica inquired, stepping into the room, with John following soon after.

Lisa shut the door lightly behind her. "Absolutely. Just so you know, the middle door is your litter."

Slowly, the blonde made her way to the tinted window and peered inside.

In what looked like a small, brick red sandbox laid eleven puppies, all squirming around.

Gazing upon the sight, a slow smile spread across her face. "John, you have to see this."

A grin spread across John's face too. Those were the first voluntary words she'd spoken to him in two hours.

The expression persisted as he looked upon the puppies with her. "How does she pick?"

She gestured to the playpen to her right. "I'll take the females from the room and place them in the pen. From there, how you select is your decision. I'll start getting them now."

They watched as Lisa walked in and out of the room, carrying the puppies one by one into the pen. Finally, they counted six.

"I'll leave you to it," the woman stated simply and retreated back through the door, leaving John and Jessica alone.

* * *

"How do we do this?" Jessica piped up after staring at the pen for five minutes.

"Well, since she's going to be your dog," John began, approaching the pen slowly. "I'd put your hand in there and see who comes to you first."

She nodded. "That's actually a really good idea."

"I'm more than just a pretty face, you know."

"Yeah, you're also a meathead."

He snorted. "Whatever."

Jessica took a deep breath and sighed, walking to the edge of the cube. "Here goes nothing."

John stood, feet firmly planted beside her, as she took off a glove and extended her hand over the side.

About a minute or so passed by without much commotion.

All of a sudden, the little puppy in the corner began to stir.

"John!" she whispered forcefully. "Look! In the corner."

His blue eyes fell on the chocolate colored dog. "She's moving."

"She's moving to me…" Jessica marveled as the dog wearily approached her. "Hello, sweetheart."

"That's her," the Massachusetts native announced as the puppy pressed her snout into her palm.

Instantaneously, her heart melted. "Yes, that's her. That's Dakota."

His eyebrow arched at her. "Dakota? I like that…"

"Yeah, me too."

John slipped away for a moment and poked his head out the door, causing Lisa to return to the room.

"That's the one, huh?"

Jessica looked from Lisa to John to Dakota and then smiled. "Yeah, that's the one."

* * *

The maroon-colored car slowed to a stop in a parking spot that was relatively close to the front of the shopping center.

Their 10am trip to the breeder had left little time to do otherwise and as a result, there were still a lot of supplies needed for the newest addition to the McMahon family.

"She's shaking," Jessica announced as John opened her door for her.

John looked over to the puppy sitting on her lap. "She's just nervous. Keep her in your arms while we're in the store. She'll be fine. Do you need help?"

"I'm holding a puppy… not bench pressing Dave."

"Right, right…" he trailed off, allowing her to get out of the car as he rubbed the back of his neck.

By the time he had shut the door however, the blonde wrestler was already a good fifteen feet ahead of him.

He hated this feeling of wanting to say something he knew he wasn't supposed to.

For twenty years, their friendship had allowed John to say a lot of things. He could make jokes, some appropriate, most rather inappropriate, and say things to get a rise out of her. The reason their romantic relationship had been so strong was the fact that they could be themselves around each other.

But once John could no longer be himself, he didn't know how much she'd want him anymore.

* * *

The sun had long since disappeared from the Massachusetts sky, ushering in a deep freeze on a cold winter night.

But inside the house that she'd grown up in, Jessica was warmed by the small animal sleeping on top of the blanket in her lap.

"Do you want a slice?" a voice interred her concentration.

The Diva looked up to find the azure-eyed wrestler standing above her, a slice of cheese pizza on a plate in his hand.

She shook her head, "I'm not really hungry."

He nodded silently and then retreated back towards the kitchen.

Jessica sighed as she watched John turn and walk away. How many times had she been forced to watch that in the last few months?

Each time, staring at his back, she felt saddened by the pain she knew he was feeling, possibly greater than her own. No matter what, she knew that someone was going to experience that pain for a long time.

And she felt guilty.

"John?" her voice graced his ears and he turned around.

His eyes locked on her. "Yeah?"

"Would you like to sit with her for a little while?" Jessica asked him softly, already repositioning her on the blanket and causing the puppy to squirm in response.

"You sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she laughed, standing up from the plush chair. "Come here."

The wrestler nodded and crossed the room. In a few paces, he was standing in front of her and Jessica placed the wriggling Chocolate Lab into his arms.

She watched as he laughed at Dakota's squeaky yawn. "You know, maybe I can finally provide Sean with a job."

He squinted his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Puppy sitting… I'll pay him to puppy sit her. I can't exactly take her on the road with me 300-something days out of the year," Jess explained with a chuckle. "He'll finally be gainfully employed."

John petted the fur on her back. "My dad will be thrilled."

"I'm sure," Jessica laughed again, backing away from the chair. "I am kind of hungry, come to think of it. Think you can handle her until I come back?"

His crystalline blue orbs rolled. "Cody and I will be just fine."

"Cody?"

"It's my new nickname for her… although, if you adopt it too, Runnels might have a problem sharing his name with a dog."

"Won't be the first time," she mused, retreating from the room once more.

After watching her exit, he turned back to the mischievous dog in his lap with a smile.

"You see that lady, Cody?" he asked her, scratching the little white spot on her chest. "That's your mommy. She's a pretty cool person. You're going to love her. Her grandma taught her to make the best cookies on the planet, but be careful. Sometimes they have chocolate and while you may be a Chocolate Lab, you can't have those. But just between you and me… you can sneak a sugar cookie or two off the counter."

Unbeknownst to John, however, Jessica hadn't really left the room. Instead, she was standing behind a wall near the front door, her head peering around the corner to listen in on the conversation.

"You're going to have the best time with her, I promise. Maybe, if we're both really lucky, I'll get to spend a lot of time with you too… but that's up to Mommy. Even if I don't though, you'll get to spend time with someone else who is nice. He has a daughter who'll love to play with you all of the time," John explained to Dakota, whose little steel blue eyes were gazing intently into his own. "Either way, Cody, you're a really lucky puppy because you have Jessica McMahon for a mom. And she already loves you a lot, I can tell. Trust me, puppy, there isn't a better feeling in the world than when she loves you. I would know…" he added, his own blue eyes darkening slightly in sadness. "Because once upon a time, she used to love me too."

Jessica's breath caught in her throat as she pulled herself back into the hallway, sliding down against the wall until her elbows could rest on her knees.

She brought her hands to her mouth, pressing them against her face to stifle any sound she could make as the tears began to fall from her watery hazel eyes.

* * *

**A/N: The updates are coming a lot faster now, aren't they?**

**I know that all of you McCena fans were probably reaching for tissues at the end of this chapter. It had to be done. I'm sorry.**

**But on the upside, I'm contemplating ending this story a little sooner than I anticipated. I don't think that between now and my planned ending of the story, I can write six chapters about that period of time. It just doesn't make sense to me. There's probably, more realistically, about five chapters total left… instead of the eight planned chapters remaining.**

**The next chapter will feature a lot more Dwayne. I'm kind of planning out what is going to happen over the next few original chapters. And then it's the answer… and then the wedding scene! **

**If I tried and stretch it out, it wouldn't be nearly as effective as I'd want it to be. And you wouldn't like it as much.**

**I've decided that the new poll will go up after the big reveal chapter. It'll be more appropriate then.**

**Oh, and by the way, in Jessica's little blog on my profile… you'll be able to see a pic of the puppy! Whose name, in real life, is really Dakota!**

**Ooooh! And once again, shamelessly promoting my Heroes fic here. It's called 'Fix You.' Read/Review it!**

**Onto the shoutouts…**

**CamieAnn – **Glad you like it, girl! Thanks for the support!

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Really? You want her to end up with John? I hadn't noticed. Hehe. I'm glad you liked the idea of Cena and a puppy… I have a feeling you liked this chapter too.

**iNdy MiLk – **I'm very proud of Jeff and I think it is a well-deserved title. It makes me happy to know that I've gotten you to root for Cena, even though you aren't really a fan of his.

**Sambolina – **I can only imagine what this letter did to you then! Poor Dave is going to be out for a while now, though. Something like 6-8 months, apparently.

**ThatGirl54 – **Thank you for the luck… apparently it came in handy for my Meteorology exam. I got an A! And yes, you did. Sort of. I'll explain it to you later.

**Cena-holic8 – **Yes, I did. After all this time, did you really expect anything less from me? And thank you!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **You probably hated me for this one then. I shall make the wedding the last chapter. It's already decided, by the way. Anything you say now has no baring. Haha!

**Sideways anger – **I had one of those Five Hour Energy drink things right before my Politics final. Thank God for that! It was amazing. McCena is always fun to work with on their good days, not so much on their bad days. This was a little hard to write.

**Westfan – **Oh my God, girl. Please send Dave our love and best wishes. I can't imagine what having to be out another 6-8 months is doing to him. I know you love the time together, but at the same time, I know it's rough to deal with, as well. I will come and visit you after the holiday season has passed. David will probably join me at some point. If you need anything let me know. And thanks for the numerous compliments per usual. I thought K-Fed was hysterical as a part of RAW and I thought Jess would find it very funny too.

**Hotpocketbandit – **You're quite welcome… it's very clever. Animals are the best, aren't they?

**OneAndOnlyHardyGirl – **He did! I'm so proud of him. He deserves it! Jeff as champ, John as champ… could it be any better? Thank you!

**Nic-002001 – **Thanks. I'm starting to get back to my old updating habits. I can't belive I'm getting close to the end! John has come to his senses… it's just a question of what Jess decides.

**Dreamin'BIG – **I love how I discuss Trish and a week later, she returns in a match with John. SERIOUSLY ironic. You have no idea. I think John is struggling a lot more than anyone realizes. There is totally going to be a fourth SAR… although, what do you mean by a teaser?

**StarSixtyNine – **So, I'm talking to you online as I'm replying to your review… and as these two dogs are constantly knocking my laptop charger out of the wall. We're experiencing a deep freeze here, as well. It's worse in NYC than it is in my hometown, about an hour from here. You were talking about killing your brother… and I offered to beat him up for you. And yes, she did cover Womanizer. Interestingly enough.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Tiff, I must say… Randy/Jess would have been a rather interesting coupling and I toyed with making that the potential kink for this story way back when I started SAR II. However, I like this normal Randy way too much… and once things started to fall in place in real life to line up with this story, I couldn't deny it. It was perfect. McRock vs. McCena… interesting.

**So that's about it for now, folks. Enjoy this chapter and please, as usual, review. The reviews have been on the decline lately… consider it a Chanukah present for me!**

**Have a Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas, everyone!**

**Danielle**


	14. Chapter 14

As she stepped off of the airplane, Jessica decided she hated red-eye flights. Then she heard someone muttering behind her and changed her mind.

She hated red-eye flights with Randy Orton.

"This is fucking ridiculous," he moaned, fumbling with the handle of his rolling carry-on suitcase as they exited the gate. "I deck Cena ONCE and I'm relegated to taking flights in the middle of the night."

Her hazel eyes rolled at her friend's irritation. "I had to take the flight too… and I didn't hit anyone."

"Yeah, you're just a regular ingénue, Jessica," he retorted bitterly. "Let's just go get our damn luggage."

Descending down the escalator with Randy on the step behind her, Jessica caught sight of her reflection for the first time as she started to text on her cell phone.

Her normally smoothed-out blonde tresses were ruffled and out of place, while her eyes were demonstrating exactly why the flight was given its nickname.

"God, I look like hell," she stated tiredly, running a hand through her messy hair.

"If this is what hell looks like, I'm not as upset at the fact that it's where I'm going to be spending eternity anymore," the man behind her deadpanned with a shake of his head. "Speaking of eternity, where the hell is the kid? We've been here for…"

"Five minutes," Jessica interred, stepping off the escalator

Randy's eyes narrowed at her as he followed suit. "Well it seems like more."

Jessica's cell phone began to vibrate in her hand as they approached the luggage carousel.

_Look up._

The blonde followed the text message's instructions and locked eyes with the much younger person in front of her. "That's creepy."

"No, if I said 'Hello, Clarisse,' that'd be creepy."

"Via text message?" Randy cocked an eyebrow. "Highly unlikely. Can we just get our luggage and go?"

"Tell you what, Randy. You get BOTH of our suitcases and then we can go," Jessica laughed at him and watched as he sauntered off, mumbling under his breath.

The young man with blue eyes grinned at her sheepishly. "Thanks for that."

"Don't thank me yet… there's a full day of that ahead of you for tomorrow."

"Well, at least there will be about twenty other people around to divide the sarcasm up with," he mused and then stepped forward to hug her. "It's good to see you, Jess."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his ever-hardening frame. "You too, Cody. What have you gained… another ten pounds of muscle mass since I last saw you?"

"Something like that," he replied bashfully as he released her and then spotted Randy headed back towards them, two suitcases in tow. "Wow, that was fast. Here comes Mr. Sunshine."

"You do know that I can hear you, right?" the older man growled at him, his green eyes darkening almost menacingly.

Jessica, sensing the tension in her friend's voice, tried to quell the uneasiness. "He didn't mean it as anything more than a joke. Calm down."

Randy released the standing luggage from his hand and continued to advance. "The hell he didn't."

The blonde immediately stepped in front of Cody, straightened to her tallest height at five feet, seven inches, and firmly placed a hand on Randy's chest to halt him in his tracks. "It is five 'o clock in the morning and I'm really not in the mood to deal with your macho bullshit right now. Cody was nice enough to come and pick us up so that we didn't have to drive to FCW after such a long flight. And don't try to tell me you're not exhausted because your eyes are as red as a fucking apple. Knock it off."

The Missouri native glared over her shoulder at the rookie and then turned away from both him and his best female friend.

"Granny Smith Apples aren't red," he muttered as he grabbed his bag.

Suddenly, her hand latched onto his arm, causing him to turn around and lock onto her leering gaze. "I mean it."

"Fine," he grit his teeth and turned to Cody. "Lead the way before I change my mind."

Jessica sighed beside Cody as they started walking five full lengths ahead of Randy, "I'm sorry. He's just moody because he's sleep and luxury deprived."

"It's alright," Cody assured her, turning a corner. "I get it. I'm used to being up late these days. You guys are fast asleep by now on the road, I'm sure."

She nodded. "Especially on nights like tonight after Raw. We're all pretty much dead. Once you get there, you'll notice that no one really goes out and parties on Monday nights. It's usually house show nights because quite honestly, the house shows are close together and everyone pretty much comes and goes as they please."

"I'm amazed you can walk right now."

"So am I," she laughed, her hazel eyes glinting in the fluorescent lights of the airport. "But something you said before is starting to bother me a little," the blonde added, her tone turning more serious.

Cody looked at her warily as they made their way through the automatic doors that led to the parking lot. "What is it?"

Jessica took a deep breath and inhaled the warm, Floridian air. Her lungs were clearly enjoying the rush of warmth instead of the bitter chill they received in Massachusetts. It was definitely a welcome change… in more ways than one.

"You said that you're used to being up late… and I want to know why."

His blue eyes fixated the door handle of his used silver Honda Civic as he fumbled to manually unlock the door while avoiding her gaze.

But the outspoken Diva wouldn't back down as she stood on the passenger's side, waiting for him. "Cody."

He winced as the locks clicked, signaling their unlocking. "No, you don't."

She sucked the air in sharply through her teeth. "Oh, Cody. Not him! I told you…"

"I know," he sighed as he opened the door and slid inside, prompting both her and Randy to do the same. "But Shawn's my best friend and my tag team partner."

"Cody, the kid's real name is Ronnie… and he'll only be called Shawn," she pointed out, shutting the door and buckling herself in. "Doesn't that tell you anything?"

"I grew up around wrestlers, Jess, and so did you and Randy. I think that all three of us understand that sometimes, in this business, people are…"

"Characters?" Randy offered from the backseat.

Cody nodded and started the car. "Yes, thank you. Characters. That doesn't make them bad people."

Jessica laughed sarcastically. "You're preaching to a McMahon here. You do realize that, right?"

"It's not funny."

"Yeah, it is, kid," Randy laughed heartily in the backseat as he texted his fiancée on his cell phone. "One thing you need to learn about Jessica is that you can't win. Not because she's stubborn, Cody, but because she's right."

"She's not right this time."

The blonde stared out the window as Cody pulled out of the parking space and shook her head. "I hope so… for your sake."

* * *

**People Exclusive: Romance Revealed?**

_At around 3:30am Tuesday morning, __**Jessica McMahon**__was spotted in Tampa International Airport with fellow wrestler, __**Randy Orton**__. The weekly WWE program on which both are featured, WWE Raw, aired live from Uncasville, CT last night and there are no house shows (which are live shows that are not aired on TV) scheduled until after Christmas. _

_So why would Jessica and Randy, who had a well-publicized fight with __**John Cena**__ last week, be in an airport in Florida before dawn?_

_

* * *

_

**McOrton for real?**

_Has Perez's favorite ass-kicker, __**Jessica McMahon**_**, **_really moved on from __**John Cena**__?_

_People Magazine reported this morning that rumored male home-wrecker, __**Randy Orton**__, and Jessica were spotted in a Tampa airport at 3:30am this morning._

_First of all… this would be a crushing blow to yours truly._

_Secondly, um… isn't he engaged?_

_Number three… she's an heir to the McMahon family fortune. She can afford a private plane… or could use the company jet. So… why the hell is she in an airport at 3:30 in the morning?!?!_

_

* * *

_

**Update: McOrton for real?**

_Okay, so this morning, one of my loyal readers sent me the following email"_

"_Hey, Perez. I happen to be a huge fan of the WWE and I was on the flight with both Randy Orton and Jessica McMahon. During the flight, in which they were sitting coach, I had the seat across the aisle and struck up a conversation with both of them. They were both VERY nice and Randy mentioned something about a clinic going on at Florida Championship Wrestling, a developmental territory of the WWE. They were both going to be there later that afternoon, around 3pm. That would explain why they caught a red-eye flight out. Both of them took pictures with me and were incredibly kind. So they clearly didn't care about being seen together."_

_Maybe there's hope for McCena yet!_

_

* * *

_

**Update (again!): McOrton for real?**

_Alright. We've got the story straight now, with the details filled in by a well-placed mole within the WWE LOCKER ROOM._

_Here's the story:_

_The Fight – __**Randy Orton**__ and __**John Cena**__ got into a huge fight. As a result, John was given double duty within the company, feuding with another wrestler, as well as a currently undetermined opponent. Randy had all of his top-billing luxuries taken away, such as a solo hotel room (which explains why he's sharing a room with __**Jessica**__ right now, who has lost her possibly ex-fiancé as a roommate) and first class accommodations. This would also explain why he had to take a red eye flight instead of the corporate jet, with Jessica going along with his punishment._

_The Flight – There is a clinic going on at a WWE developmental territory based out of Tampa and both Randy and Jessica are scheduled to be guest teachers, along with four former wrestlers. The only way for them to make the clinic after the Raw taping in CT was to take an immediate flight to Florida. They were even picked up by a developmental talent that Jessica is family friends with in order to recover from exhaustion as soon as possible._

_The Verdict – NOT A COUPLE! _

_Yay!_

_But this still means that there's another guy out there, somehow in association with the WWE, that is the mystery man._

_Hmm…._

_

* * *

_

_**It was getting to be incredibly rough for me every morning. I'd wake up and find a bazillion emails from friends of mine, telling me that I was being written about on websites like People Magazine, US Weekly, and Perez Hilton.**_

_**And then once they started dragging Randy, who had just gotten engaged to his future wife, into the mix, I thought I was at my lowest point.**_

_**But my lowest point wouldn't fully be reached… until later that day.**_

_

* * *

_

By the time Randy awoke around noon, Jessica had been up for two hours.

From the first time her phone had vibrated on her end table, she'd known it would be bad. Rarely did she receive a call before 11am that wasn't important and everyone within the company knew she had caught a red-eye the previous evening.

So it didn't surprise her that Amy had called with the bad news. She'd always been the one who was already ten steps ahead of her with a plan to fix the damage that had been, or would be, done.

And the first part of the plan involved calling Randy's fiancée.

"I didn't even know anything before she called, Randy," Samantha explained, attempting to calm herself. "The phone has been ringing off the hook with reporters and gossip columnists trying to contact you and me. There are about fifteen photographers currently sitting on our front lawn. I can't even leave the house!"

"Okay, okay," Randy attempted to slow her roll as he sunk down on the bed, rubbing his temple. "I don't want you leaving the house right now. Let things die down a little first. I'm going to take care of it…"

Samantha locked the last of the downstairs windows as she repositioned her cell against her ear. "Do you think I need to lock the upstairs windows too?"

The six foot, four-inch man growled and clenched the phone tighter in his large hand. "This is fucking ridiculous. NO future wife of mine is going to be at the mercy of these fucking animals."

Just as Randy began to launch into his tirade, the door to the hotel room clicked open. Standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of jeans and a black tank top was Jessica McMahon.

His eyes darkened as she walked in, clouded by anger that wasn't necessarily directed at his friend. "Jessica…" his low voice rumbled.

Her face was stone serious as she took two steps towards him. "Is that Sam?"

"Yes," Randy replied through gritted teeth.

"Give me the phone," Jessica stated. It wasn't a request. It was an order.

He continued to eye her. "What are you doing?"

"I am the Executive Vice President of Legal Affairs and Media Relations for World Wrestling Entertainment. I am doing my job, Randy," she replied matter-of-factly and extended her right hand towards him. "Now give me the phone."

Wordlessly, he handed her the flip phone.

"Thank you," Jessica nodded once at him and placed the phone at her ear. "Sam?"

"Jessica?" the brunette asked in surprise, her hand pausing on the windowsill.

"Yes," the blonde answered. "Sam, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?"

It was silent for a moment on the other end of the line and then Samantha Speno spoke up, "Okay."

"I just got off of the phone with the St. Louis Police Department. In about five minutes, there will be a knock on your door. It will be Sergeant Macy and he will identify himself to you as such. Macy and his men will be providing you with round-the-clock protection. He'll stay with you for a few hours inside the house and explain the protocol to you. Macy'll also make sure that everything is locked and secure in the house. Then, he'll go on patrol, as well," Jessica explained slowly to her.

Sam was taking a little while to process everything. "How long will they be here for?"

"As long as it takes," the slightly older woman replied. "We're not… I'm not taking any chances. Sergeant Macy has had experience with this type of situation before. After he deems the threat gone, we'll wait another forty-eight hours as a test and re-evaluate the situation then."

"Al-alright," Samantha stammered, still slightly in shock.

"Sam, listen to me," Jessica stated firmly. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I promise. I'm going to give Randy back the phone now, okay?"

She took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay. Thank you, Jessica… for everything."

Without hesitation, Jessica responded, "Please, don't thank me. I'm the one that caused all this… here's Randy."

She handed the phone back to her friend and pulled out her own cell phone, then her laptop and placed both onto the small table in the corner of the room.

As Randy continued to speak with his fiancée, Jessica busied herself at the table, scrawling numbers and information down on a pad. Every so often, she'd stop and type something into her computer, then start back up on the notepad.

Finally, her pen dropped down onto the desk and she stood up, just as Randy ended his phone call.

"Where are you doing?" he asked her curiously, pocketing the cell phone as she grabbed her purse, which now held the cell phone and notepad.

"We have to be at FCW at 4:30," Jessica explained to him, stopping to face him. "I have four hours to do major damage control and that includes getting a few lawsuits filed against some publications, not to mention figuring out how the hell we're getting out of here."

Randy arched an eyebrow at her. "Lawsuits? You're really going to sue people?"

"No, WE are going to merely file lawsuits against some publications for libel… and then they're going to feel threatened and call off the dogs," Jessica informed him. "Including those currently hounding your fiancée."

"We?"

"You, me, and World Wrestling Entertainment… the possibilities are endless," she smirked almost menacingly and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll be back in about two hours. You might want to call your parents in the meantime."

* * *

"Yes, yes…" Jessica nodded while tapping her pen on top of the conference table. "All legal documents, including filings should be sealed and private. If I find out that any information on our end has been leaked, you are all fired."

"Yes, m'am. Respondent?"

"The respondent should be listed as Time Inc."

"Ms. McMahon, who is the petitioner?" the man on the other side of the phone asked.

Jessica rolled her eyes. She'd gone over this three times already.

For the better part of the last hour, Jessica McMahon had made use of the Hilton's smallest conference room as her makeshift office.

With her notepad, laptop, cell phone, and pencil all laid out before her, not to mention the conference phone beside her computer, she was corresponding with the brightest minds in her department from their conference room in Stamford.

"For the last time, Gabriel, the petitioners _are_ World Wrestling Entertainment, Incorporated in conjunction with Jessica J. McMahon and Randal K. Orton."

Silence followed for a few moments before a woman spoke up this time. "Ms. McMahon, I don't mean to question you or anything, but… there's a very good chance that this lawsuit won't hold up in court and it'll take years, not to mention tons of money, to see this through."

"That's the whole point."

"So you're trying to waste company money?" another male angrily retorted.

Her jaw locked. "Mr. Mason, I recommend you watch your tone or you will find yourself no longer benefiting from any company money used as your salary. It's called intimidation, ladies and gentlemen, and it's what us McMahons do best. Do you really think that seven different companies really want to go toe to toe with three separate teams of lawyers?"

The silence in the room answered her question.

"I thought so," she gloated with a satisfied smile that they could not see. "Moving on… Theresa?" Jessica called for her secretary at the Stamford headquarters.

"Yes, Ms. McMahon?" the young woman responded quickly.

"I need you to call Steve Keirn over at our FCW territory," she instructed her. "And listen very carefully, Theresa. Write down everything I'm about to tell you. It's imperative that he knows exactly what my plans are…"

* * *

Cody pulled up into the horseshoe driveway of the Hilton and studied himself in the rearview mirror of his black Mustang.

In a pair of polarized sunglasses, acid-washed jeans, and a black button down, he did not look like his normal self… but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Certainly not in this case.

He flipped the valet his keys with a pompous smile. "Keep her warm for me. I'll be back in a few."

The young man nodded and hopped into his car, driving around the bend.

The smirk still on his face, Cody strutted cockily into the hotel lobby and headed for the bar. Despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon, there were still plenty of people littering the counter and the tables. This included members of the paparazzi who were allowed to stay on premises by purchasing drink after drink, snack after snack.

After sitting at the bar and ordering and paying for a beer, a young woman approached him on his right and sat down beside him.

"I'll take two shots of your best vodka."

Cody turned in the direction of the woman, pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head, and smirked. "Don't you think it's a bit early for that?"

The dark scarlet-haired woman beside him wore a pair of ripped jeans and black leather tank top that zipped up the front. With a closer examination, he discovered that on each of her wrists rested a black nautical star.

"It's never too early for vodka, um…" she trailed off, failing to know his name.

"Cody," he finished for her. "And you are?"

The bartender returned with her two shots and the woman immediately downed one of them, slamming the glass back onto the table and licking her lips. "Juliette."

"Nice to meet you, Juliette," Cody grinned at her and took a swig out of his beer bottle.

Juliette flashed him a sexy smile of her own, sweeping her bangs back into place. "You too, Cody. I know that for you, it's a little early to be doing shots, but maybe sometime… I could show you the best place to do shots at night. I've come to Tampa a few too many times in recent years."

"I'd like that," he agreed and drank some more of the amber liquid.

"Good," the red-head stated, tracing around the edge of her shot glass with her middle finger.

As she bit her lip ever-so-slightly, Cody's blue eyes sparkled. "You know, it's not good to drink on an empty stomach… and I'm a pretty good cook if I dare so myself."

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

Juliette arched an eyebrow as she spoke, "Do you dare say so?"

Cody nodded and finished off his beer. "I do."

"Your place then?" she propped her tanned face onto her hand against the bar.

"A chef does his best cooking in his own kitchen," the Georgia native agreed, pulling down his sunglasses. "I'm ready to go if you are."

"I'm not," Juliette replied with a shake of her head. Then chugged down her remaining shot of vodka and placed a hundred dollar bill down on top of the empty glass. "Now I am."

Juliette walked a step behind Cody and pulled a pair of aviator sunglasses out of her pocketbook, sliding them on over her eyes. After crossing the lobby, they passed through the doors and felt the warm breeze outside.

"Your car, sir?" the valet asked as Cody approached the horseshoe.

He nodded and watched as the man disappeared. Juliette, standing beside him at around 5'10" in her black stiletto heels, applied another coat of lip gloss.

The car pulled up in front of the pair and Cody slid a hundred dollar bill into the man's palm to replace his keyring.

"Thank you, sir," the valet thanked him and moved out of the way.

"A mustang," Juliette nodded, impressed with the 2007 model. "Very nice."

"I try," Cody smirked as she entered the car beside him.

With the press of a button, the top of the convertible began to rise again as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Within a few minutes, the Mustang was gliding down the freeway, camouflaged by a thousand other cars.

"Nice tattoos," Cody remarked, his eyes flickering from the road to her wrists.

She laughed in amusement, pulling a wet nap out of her bag and swabbing them off of her skin. "Mascara and a stencil… Randy, you can sit up now."

A groan emanated from the backseat of the vehicle as Randy Orton rose to a sitting position and began rolling his shoulders. "Fuck, that was uncomfortable."

"Sorry," Cody apologized. "It was the only semi-decent car the rental place had. It was either this or a G6 and I knew you could never fit into the backseat of that one."

"Thanks," Randy replied, cracking his neck as he stretched. "It's the thought that counts, I guess."

"Hey, Randy…" the young woman in the front seat caught his attention and then pulled off her wig, chucking it at him. "Catch."

The wig caught him square in the face and he ripped it away, crinkling his nose in disgust. "Thanks, Jess."

"No problem," she laughed, pulling the sunglasses from her face and stuffing them back into her bag. "You put the suitcases in the trunk?"

He nodded. "Yeah, both of 'em are in there. As is your laptop case."

She turned towards the second-generation superstar at the wheel. "Did you see any paparazzi follow us?"

"No, I didn't," Cody shook his head at her and checked the rear-view mirror. "No one in the bar so much as moved, nor did any of the photographers on the lawn. Steve said there's no one sitting around FCW either, so we're safe."

Jessica sighed in relief, relaxing against the headrest. "Thank you for everything, Cody. I owe you… big time."

* * *

_**It was an incredibly crazy stunt to have pulled and definitely one of my more creative moments in life. I mean, really… Cody Runnels as a filthy rich playboy and Jessica McMahon as "Juliette," the tattooed biker chick? It was an Oscar worthy performance.**_

_**I think that deep down, Cody enjoyed playing the part… almost a little too much, if you asked me. But it didn't matter. After all that he'd done for me, I really did owe him. The least I could do was show up to FCW as his prize acquisition for the clinic, along with Randy Orton, another product of the developmental system.**_

_**But after what would go on to happen at Florida Championship Wrestling that afternoon, it'd be Cody that owed me… big time.**_

* * *

**A/N: Another timely update! This was originally half of a chapter, but it's so long that I had to put some mystery in there and break it up. The next chapter is going to be pretty… chaotic. A lot of pushing and pulling at some points, tender moments at others.**

**And I know this chapter was supposed to be Rock-centric, but that's the next one. I had to shift the order around a little bit. **

**Good news is that I know how the last four chapters are going to run AND I think we're back up to a chapter count of around 19-20. So maybe, we'll only miss out on one chapter this time around. It'll work out though.**

**I've noticed that lately, my review count has gone down. I don't know if this is due to busy schedules, but I know a good portion of you are on vacation now… so I expect big time reviews from you guys, haha!**

**So… shoutouts:**

**Dreamin'BIG – **Ahhh… gotcha. I understand what you're saying about McCena too. Rock and Jess will have more time in this next chapter, especially after certain events, hint hint.

**Sideways anger – **Haha. Yeah, Dakota's sitting on my floor right now… and she'd love to meet John! Yes, sequel soon. Let me finish SAR III though. You know you're dying to know what happens.

**Goddessofthenite – **Welcome back, Julz! And you can call for once, gooseberry!

**Mrs Dominic Toretto Aus – **Aww, thank you SO much! I'm glad that this story interested you enough to read the other two that preceded it!

**AlexiaCalaway – **I know. I'm always right.

**CamieAnn – **Another teary-eyed girl! I just like the idea of John and a puppy.

**FrequentlyDazzled – **Yes, you did just pull a King. And I've been more focused on the taking off part, in all honesty. I was supposed to go the Raw show the other day, but my friend screwed me over… LONG story. I'm sick of Jericho though. And yes, I know… McCena babies are a wonderful possibility.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Haha… you broke out the F-bomb. Trish wrote letters to both of them… for different reasons. She does have her favorite though… you'll find out who at the actual wedding. Oh, yeah. There will be a wedding… last chapter of the story.

**Purplefeather21 – **He is in more pain than everyone thought… he just sucks it up cause he doesn't want to show it. Especially, not to her.

**iNdy MiLk – **Thanks so much!

**.Gyrl – **Those tabloids are at it again, Nique! But in case you haven't noticed, Perez Hilton is a big fan of McCena and loves her like he loves Victoria Beckham. Which is a lot.

**Hotpocketbandit – **I keep feeling awful because I keep making everybody cry! Sorry your fish died… but I like Pepper and Dobby for names. My first Beanie Baby was named Dobby.

**OneandOnlyHardyGirl – **I will not sue you, but clearly… if Jessica J. McMahon threatens to sue you, watch the F out. And I have to youtube it because I was asleep… and had DVR-ed it, but my FATHER decided to clear out the DVR this morning. And not tell me. Idiot. I'm sure this chapter's cliffhanger was pretty cruel too. Sorry.

**Westfan – **I thought you'd enjoy that line. And you know I love using Cody and Randy for humor. They're very much alike in ways they don't realize… and which Jessica won't realize until SAR IV, hint hint, but you'll see later on. And as for SD, you forgot the extra Kennedy. He'd be pissed about that if he knew. But I'll come see you soon. And you, me, and Sam will have to team up to finally get rid of Liz. I'll bring David into the fold and we'll pretend that he and I are broken up JUST to draw Cena in enough and piss Lizzie off at the same time. Exciting!!!

**Sambolina – **I really owe all of you girls I made cry tissues.

**ThatGirl54 – **Remind me after the chapter right before the big reveal to tell you how you gave me the idea. I promise, I will explain. Thanks for thinking that about my Codygirl. She's a handful though… better than she used to be.

**Cena-holic8 – **And a box of Kleenex will now be sent to you too! But you have to think about it this way… did Dwayne really get a fair chance? Wasn't Vince very protective of her. I mean, he did send her to live with her grandmother and play the role of villain JUST so she could be better off. If Dwayne, at 27, were to put the moves on his boss's innocent 21 year old daughter, what do you think Vince would have done then?

**Nic-002001 – **You're very welcome! Happy New Year!

**So, a Happy New Year to all of you! Here's to a 2009 of good luck, health, and fortune… and John Cena to kiss at midnight for all of you girls out there! (And for you guys… Mickie or Kelly Kelly or Melina!)**

**Read and review, all!**

**Danielle**


	15. Chapter 15

The silver 2007 Mustang made its way into the parking lot of Florida Championship Wrestling in a slow crawl as Cody cautiously glanced around.

Luckily, the photographers were strewn around the parking lot, but not alert in any way. It seemed as though Jessica and Randy's under wraps exit from the hotel had not sent off red flags within corporate alliances.

Still, they had to be careful and as a result, Jessica was forced to put back on her wig and sunglasses, while Randy ducked in the back, waiting to exit five minutes after they had left the car.

After throwing the car in park and turning off the engine, the developmental talent tossed the keys into the backseat. "Lock it up after you leave. I don't need anyone stealing a car I rented under my own name, even if the WWE is paying for it."

Randy mumbled something inaudible to their ears as the door shut and Jessica and Cody disappeared from sight.

He groaned from his curled up position in the backseat, "She's lucky I love her… "

* * *

They passed safely through the glass doors in the front of the facility, with the paparazzi barely looking at them once. To them, it'd just seem liked another pair of wrestlers had gotten a little too into their gimmicks.

The hallway was relatively empty, so Cody figured he'd show her straight into the gym. Past a pair of light blue-painted steel doors, laid the ring.

It was bright inside the training area, but Jessica knew that nothing compared to the lights of an arena.

"Hey, Runnels…" a voice called out to him from inside the ring, causing her head to snap up. "You know the rules…"

Cody's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about, Shawn?"

"Come on, man. If I'm not allowed to, you're not allowed to," his short-haired best friend laughed.

"Allowed to WHAT?"

"Dude, you do know you're supposed to keep business and pleasure separate, right?" he continued, drawing laughs from a few of the other developmental talents.

Just not the women.

Jessica scowled and muttered under her breath, "He thinks I'm one of your bimbos."

"Shawn…" Cody warned with a slight grimace. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I know I do," he replied cockily, ducking through the ropes and hopping off the apron. "Allow me to spell this out for you, Runnels. Daddy Dusty or not, you can't bring any of your booty calls around here."

"Who the fuck are you calling a booty call, asshole?" a deep voice growled from just beyond the doorway.

Both Cody and Jessica winced at the same time, recognizing the voice. "Shit."

Shawn's brown eyes narrowed at the tall man who had spoken so boldly from beneath his sunglasses and hooded sweatshirt. "Who the fuck are you calling an asshole?"

"Shawn, knock it off!" the blue-eyed wrestler ordered firmly.

"I got this, Cody," he brushed his friend off, approaching the mystery man. "Don't think you can fucking walk in here and talk to me like that. I suggest you apologize…"

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but _I_ suggest that _you_ get out of my face."

Spears smirked at him, "Make me."

And without warning, the man lunged, grabbed him by the neck, and pressed him against the wall a little behind them, to his left.

"Randy, no!" Jessica called to him in anguish, rushing over to the wall. "Let him, go."

Struggling to breathe, Shawn gasped, "Randy?"

"Yeah," Randy reached up and pulled off his sunglasses, then pushed back his hood. "Randy fucking Orton. Not so tough now are you, punk?"

Jessica finally reached him and began to tug on his arm. "Randy, let him go. Come on… you've gotten so far. Don't let some stupid kid ruin your progress."

His grip loosened until he finally let go of Shawn altogether. Struggling to compose himself, he backed up about ten steps until he was next to Cody.

"I see the whore has you on a leash too," Shawn laughed, still slightly winded. "Dude, you really can't let a girl get to you… no matter how good the sex is."

Randy's eyes darkened and he starting to move forward again, but Jessica's hand stopped him.

This time, she moved forward.

"For a young man with such talent," the youngest McMahon sibling began harshly, "You really need to work on your damn attitude."

"And who the hell are you to tell me how to live my life?" he snorted in amusement.

Jessica ripped off her aviators and threw her wig on the floor, revealing to Shawn what everyone else in the room already knew by that point. "Your boss."

"Jessica?" an older man with a grayed ponytail entered from her right, through the doors. "Jessica, what's going on?"

Her eyes never left Shawn as she spoke, "Your student has an attitude problem that needs adjusting."

"Arnell!" he snapped at the young man. "You'll never learn."

"Steve, I'm going to go change…" she stated, turning to face him. "I can't wrestle in this… but when I come back, I'd like to address that attitude problem in the ring, if you don't mind."

"Hey…" he held his hands up in mock defeat. "It's your place, I just work here. I'm going to go get Dusty though, he'd love to see this."

* * *

"I'm not going to do it." Shawn shook his head vehemently as Jessica sat atop the turnbuckle.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Is it because I'm your boss?"

"No, it's because you're a girl," he replied with a chuckle. "And I'm not going to beat up a girl."

"Honey," a feminine voice laughed at him from across the room with a hint of a southern twang. "I could kick your ass from here to Tallahassee. This one here could kick your sorry ass to Stamford and back."

Jessica turned her head and caught sight of the redheaded woman in her seventies who was now standing behind Cody's father. Instantly, a smile crept across her face. "Lillian."

"In the flesh, darlin,'" she winked, standing beside Nora Greenwald and Walter Kowalski, who must have arrived in the last few minutes, as well.

Her eyes falling on the man who taught her virtually everything she knew, she smiled and hopped off of the turnbuckle to walk towards him.

"Jessica," he grinned at her in his heavy accent. "It's good to see you."

"You too," the blonde replied happily, hugging his massive frame.

"Enough with the hugging," he chuckled loudly, as though he was a giant. "It has been too long since I saw you in the ring in my presence. This old man wants to see his student again."

Her hazel eyes sparkled as she nodded and returned to the ring. "So, Shawn… you ready?"

"Okay…" he shrugged, making his way towards the center of the ring. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The developmental talents of FCW began to crowd around the ring. Some were seated in chairs, others stood together against walls, anxious to catch a glimpse of The Rebel in person.

Her on-screen persona was fierce, often vindictive when it came to protecting those she loved. Yet, her backstage reputation was that of a kind and caring individual who had a true passion for the business.

Then again, everyone's gimmick in wrestling has some sort of root in their personality.

Jessica smoothed down her black Soffe shorts, made sure that her black sports bra top was tight to her body, and walked to the center of the ring.

Kevin Keenan, dressed in regular street clothes instead of zebra stripes, met both Shawn and Jessica in the middle.

"Alright, this is a shoot fight," he explained, crouching slightly. "Normal rules apply. Shawn," Kevin turned to address him. "Lay off the hair. Jessica," he added, facing her this time, "You throw a low blow, I will DQ you. Got it?"

Both nodded… and then the bell rang.

The pair locked up, with Shawn taking control rather smugly. But in his cockiness, came weakness.

The blonde elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to loosen the hold. Immediately, she reached up and locked her hands around his neck, flipping him over her body and onto the mat.

Embarrassed, he shot up from the mat and grumbled, prepared to lock up again.

Once they did, Shawn's frustration got the best of him. Focused on proving his strength, he left his midsection wide open. Jessica kicked him in the stomach and hit a head scissor.

A few of the guys around the ring were laughing and the Divas-in-training were giggling at the scene before them.

Shawn Spears was getting his ass handed to him… by a girl.

"Come on, let's go…" he yelled at her harshly.

"I thought we _were_ going," Jessica smirked at him, running a hand through her hair and then placing it on her hips.

"No," he replied with a shake of his head. "_You_ were going. _I_ was taking it easy on you. Now, we're going to go for real."

The Diva chuckled as he stood before her flustered. "Okay. Let's go."

After another lockup, Jessica managed to back him into the ropes, causing him to rocket forward. Upon his ricochet, she dropkicked him, knocking the wind from his body with harsh force.

Caught off-guard by the force of her assault, she was able to bound off the ropes again and land a moonsault.

Shawn was still laying on his back in the ring. The beating he had taken thus far had really taken its toll on him.

Internally, she laughed with a sick sense of satisfaction at making him pay.

But he hadn't paid enough yet. So she started to climb the turnbuckle in order to do something she hadn't done in a very long time.

Nora's eyes widened and she leaned in towards Walter, "Do you think she's going to…"

"Yes," he cut her off with a nod.

Propelling herself into the air, Jessica's body corkscrewed 450 degrees in the air before settling on Shawn's prone body.

The blonde bounced back with ease and Randy could swear he saw her laugh a little when she got to her feet.

"Oh, she's such a bitch," he laughed, prompting Cody to turn to him quizzically.

"What are you talking about?"

His emerald eyes glinted as he turned towards him with a smirk. "I know what she's going to do next."

By the time Cody's eyes returned towards his boss in the ring, Shawn was contorted into the Rebel Rising and fighting with himself not to make a sound.

He watched as he bit his lips to the point before they bled, just so he didn't have to admit he was wrong.

And then, after what seemed like hours, Shawn did what he had sworn he wouldn't do: he tapped.

The youngest of Vince McMahon's children shot off of her opponent without the slightest hint of emotion, in stark contrast to the rest of her match.

She slipped through the ropes silently and hopped off of the ring apron.

But over the low clapping of the trainees in the room, came a louder voice belonging to someone who hadn't been in the room before.

"Since when did you start using the corkscrew-inverted STF combo again?"

Her hazel eyes shot up, hoping that they'd reveal her ears had deceived her.

But judging by the murderous look on the face of Randy Orton and the horrified expression crossing Cody Runnels's features, Jessica McMahon knew neither her eyes nor her ears were wrong.

"Dwayne!" Dusty exclaimed brightly at the half-Samoan standing a few feet in front of the metal doors, dressed in a pair of warm-up pants and a navy Nike tank top. "I'm glad you could make it!"

Cody immediately rushed beside her while his father's back was turned. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I… I didn't know."

Her eyes fluttered shut lightly. "It's okay, I know you didn't."

She could vaguely hear Dusty talking to Dwayne and if she had focused in on the conversation a little more, she was sure she could have figured out what they were saying. But she didn't really care.

By the time they opened again, Randy was already at her side.

"Let's get you out of here," he grumbled, lightly grasping her bare arm.

"No." She shook him off. "I can't, Randy. I can't run from this forever. I need to stay. I'm here to teach and teach is what I'm going to do."

"Jessica…" Randy sighed. "You already taught that Spears kid a lesson and in doing so, taught everyone else something in the process. You've done enough."

She ran a hand over her face. "I'm staying."

It was clear that there was no budging room in her decision. Jessica was adamant about sticking it out, so that was what she was going to do.

Randy knew better than to fight with Jessica, especially over something she was already dead-set on.

But there was someone else he could fight with.

"Hey, I have an idea," Randy announced loudly, commanding the attention of everyone else in the room. "You've seen a rookie take on a veteran in a shoot match. You want to see a veteran take on another veteran in a shoot match?"

Excitement began to pass around the room infectiously.

"Good," he smirked satisfactorily and looked towards Dusty. "Dwayne… let's go."

* * *

"Randy," Jessica addressed her best friend weakly as he was rolling his ankles to stretch them out. "You don't have to do this."

"I know." He nodded and then glanced across the room at his opponent. "But I want to."

And just like the younger of the friends knew not to pick a fight with the other, the older of the pair knew that there were certain things Randy Orton was going to do, no matter what she said.

This was one of them.

"Alright, Orton," Dwayne called to him as he walked up the steps into the ring. "I only had ten minutes with you in the ring in '04. Let's see if you've gotten any better."

Randy leered at him as he followed the path into the ring. "Let's see if you still remember what you're doing."

The wrestler-turned-actor let out a low chuckle and prepared to lock up in the ring.

Kevin re-entered the squared circle and informed the men of the same rules he had previous told Jessica and Shawn.

The bell rang again and the match began.

Randy had Dwayne in a headlock, but he was quickly forced against the ropes and broke the hold. However, he kicked the older man in the ribs, forcing him down.

But Dwayne wouldn't waver and they started trading right hands until Randy got pressed into a corner.

Kevin then broke it up and Randy shoved Dwayne off of him.

And that was when the match turned into something else completely.

The amused smile on Dwayne's face quickly faded and morphed into an intense glare. He backed up a few paces, extended his arm, and opened and closed his hand three times.

Two third-generation wrestlers were standing in the ring, eyes smoldering with rage as they stared at each other, neither willing to waver.

But one was ready to strike first… and his name was Randy Orton.

In a matter of moments, Randy had launched himself across the ring and speared Dwayne down to the mat.

Fists went flying, no open hands. Just fists.

Within sixty seconds, there was blood on the mat. Within one-hundred and twenty seconds, there was blood everywhere.

Soon, Randy and Dwayne's brawl had rolled off of the ring apron and onto the gym mats below the square.

The jet black mats were slowly turning crimson like scarlet across a night sky and as her hazel orbs fell upon them, Jessica McMahon lost it.

"STOP IT!" she shrieked, lunging towards them, only to be grabbed by a pair of strong arms.

"Jessica, come on," the young man who held her within his grasp tried to contain her. "Dad! Steve! Do something!"

Both men stood in a stunned stupor beside the ring. What could they possibly do?

"Cody, let me go!" the blonde screamed, writhing in his arms like a banshee until he couldn't hold onto her any longer and she ripped herself from his arms.

Immediately, he chased after her. "Jess!"

"Randy!" Jessica yelled, pulling at his arm covered in blood. "Stop it, please."

Just then, Dwayne turned, getting the edge over Randy as he started to lay into him, causing more blood to flow.

"Dwayne," she plead with him. "Stop. You're hurting him. Please!"

But he continued to ignore her, as Randy had done.

Finally, Jessica threw herself at him, grabbing at both arms and pulling as hard as she could until he realized it was her behind him.

And then, he relented.

"Randy," she gasped, her red-stained hands shaking as she scurried over towards him. "Randy, oh God."

"I'm okay," he assured her weakly through gritted teeth as she placed his head onto her lap.

Her porcelain hand grazed over his tanned face, brushing some of the blood away from his eyes.

"Thank you," he panted, his once-tense body loosening up.

Jessica's eyes examined his face closely. "There's so much. I-I don't know where it's all coming from."

"I'll be alright," Randy waved a hand feebly at her. "I'm just a little dizzy, that's all. It'll subside."

She glanced up to assess the situation around her and found a less bloody Dwayne Johnson being attended to on the other side of the room.

Cody was nowhere to be found and had most likely gone to get the medical attendant in his office, who would probably call the EMT's for assistance.

"This is my fault," she shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Randy."

"Stop it, Jess," he told her, shaking her sentiment off. "This wasn't your fault. This was half my fault and half his. You know us men and our testosterone."

She nodded and wiped away at a tear.

"I'm sorry."

Jessica tilted her head to the side. "For what?"

A smile twitched at the corners of his lips. "I'm bleeding all over you."

In response, she could only smile back at him sadly. "Your blood is the least of my problems."

* * *

**A/N: The you-know-what has OFFICIALLY hit the fan. That's all I can really say at this point.**

**This is basically part two of this trip to Tampa. Chapter 16 is part three of the trip.**

**And by the way, the chapter schedule is back on track. There will be 21 chapters in this story. **

**Shout-outs:**

**Westfan – **I know that in this chapter, Randy equals supreme awesomeness in this chapter. I had such a good time visiting you in West Newbury last week! Although, I had such a scare with David yesterday. We'll talk about it later. Hope Dave is doing better!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Randy and Cody are funny together. They're a lot more similar than you know… and you'll see it in SAR IV.

**Dreamin'BIG – **I bet you didn't see Randy and Dwayne brawling it out.

**Sideways anger – **Ah. New Years. What a big part it will play in the ending of this story. And now you know why Cody owes her.

**OneandOnlyHardyGirl – **She is a scary lady when she wants to be. I hope this chapter lived up to the cliffhanger.

**Wrestlenascargirl – **Thanks for reading it again! I just did it myself! Another McCena vote!

**Cena-holic8 – **The McRock pairing is kind of… like forbidden fruit in that it used to be taboo, but not, not so much. So now that the opportunity is there, it's kind of hard for her to resist.

**Nic-002001 – **She DOES get it done! Hey, you've got a 50/50 shot at a McCena reunion. And yeah, tabloids are fun.

**ThatGirl54 – **Thank you! It was fun to write that out. Haha. Randy is a funny, funny man. But in this chapter, he's a bloody, bloody man.

**FrequentlyDazzled619 – **Happy New Year to you too. Ugh, I'll take a kiss from the guy I like at school at this point.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **It was creative, wasn't it? It was fun to write Jess as a biker chick. She was inspired by Britney Spears's waitress persona in the Womanizer video. Cena will possibly come into play a little next chapter. Definitely in Chapter 17. I think 18 will be all about Jessica.

**iNdy MiLk – **Was this big enough for you? And yes, there will be a fourth. And that will be the last one.

**Sambolina – **I used her middle name, which I LOVE. So I thought it'd be a way to clue you guys in without giving too much away.

**Goddessofthenite – **Was it now? I go back on Sunday.

**CandaceMcMahon – **NOW all hell has broken loose. Thanks for reading… and it's no problem. I get being busy. I go back to school on Sunday.

**Purplefeather21 – **Cody will always have a special place in my heart. You'll get an update on Samantha in the next chapter. Part three of the Tampa Trip (Chapter 16) will be mostly all Rock/Jessica.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Thank you! And yes, those three together are awesome. Cody and I are facebook friends. We're bff's, lol.

**Thanks again to everyone for reviewing and I hope that the '09 school year treats you all well.**

**And since this chapter will get review 300, I just wanted to send out a huge amount of gratitude to all of you. I never expected She's a Rebel to be as popular as it is… and certainly didn't expect to have this much interest in the continuation of her life. The amount of praise you all have given me is truly humbling and I am flattered that you all write to me, telling me how long you sit on the edge of the chair, waiting for a review, or how you think of me when reading about John, Randy, Cody, The Rock, etc.**

**From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all.**

**Danielle**


	16. Chapter 16

"_We're going to have to take him to the hospital," Steve told her softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Randy, can you hear me?"_

_The wrestler gritted his teeth as he tried to nod, aggravating the cuts on his head. "Yeah. I'm not unconscious. Just bloody."_

_Steve snorted in amusement and then flipped open his cell phone. "Sarcasm… that's a good sign. I'm still calling an ambulance though."_

"_Come on, man…" Randy groaned, but it was hard to determine whether it was out of pain or defiance. "Can't I just get in a car or something?"_

"_Sure, you can get in a car." Steve nodded, but continued to dial anyway. "It's called an ambulance."_

* * *

_About twenty minutes later, a pair of EMT's burst through the metal doors pushing a stretcher towards Randy, Jessica, and Steve._

"_How long has he been bleeding for?" one of them asked in a deep voice, approaching him cautiously. The young man didn't look a day over twenty-five._

_Jessica chewed on her lower lip as she thought it over. "About thirty five minutes."_

_The other man nodded and then headed for Dwayne, while the young one stayed. He crouched down in front of them, glancing Randy over. He was coated in his own blood from midway down his abdomen upward._

"_Did you see where it started?" he asked Jessica, who was equally soaked with crimson. _

_She shook her ponytailed-head. "No. It all was happening too fast… but I think he has a few cuts on his head, at least one on his face. He started gushing pretty quickly, too fast for it to be his neck or upper body."_

_The EMT nodded again and opened up his bag, removing a pair of gloves and gauze. "Can he sit up?"_

"_I'm right here," Randy sniped at him, pushing himself upward off of his friend's lap. "Don't talk about me like I'm invisible."_

* * *

The EMT looked Randy over for about five minutes and finally discovered two cuts on the back of his head, one just over his ear, and another one on his right temple. Almost immediately, he decided that Randy needed to be brought to the emergency room to be stitched up. As it were, he was lucky didn't lose much more blood once on the way there.

Dwayne, on the other hand, did not require an ambulance or any stitches at all. Most of the cuts had occurred when he and Randy had rolled out of the ring and landed on the concrete below. He had a bloody nose, a busted lip, and a black eye, but he was a lot less worse for wear than his sparring partner.

And while he had tried to talk to Jess before she had fled the training facility, her main focus was Randy and getting into the ambulance with him.

On the ride to the hospital, Jessica managed to get a hold of Samantha over the phone. After minor hysterics on her end, the blonde Diva managed to put Randy on speakerphone long enough that he could assure his fiancée that he was alright.

Upon entering the hospital, Randy was taken straight into the ER and Jessica was forced to wait in the lobby because she was not an immediate member of his family.

So for the last hour, Jessica had been sitting in the waiting area of the hospital, caked in rapidly-drying blood, looking as though she had been the one surviving victim of a chain saw massacre.

"You look like you've been forced to watch an axe murderer hack numerous people to pieces," a voice interred her thoughts, causing her to look up.

But when she locked eyes on the half-Samoan standing in front of her, she wished she hadn't. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't get the chance before, so I came to apologize," he replied sincerely, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Face to face."

She scoffed at him and shook her head. "Did you ever stop to think that there might have been a reason you didn't?"

A wry smile crossed his perfect features. "I did, but I didn't care."

But Jessica was clearly not amused.

"I'm so glad that you decided to pick today to determine you didn't care… the day I didn't need anymore stress on my head."

Dwayne rolled his eyes. "Orton is going to be fine…"

"What about me, Dwayne?" Jessica shot back at him angrily, rising from her chair to make her presence known, despite being diminutive in his shadow. "Do you even know what I've had to deal with today, let alone since you decided to drop your little bombshell on me? Do you know how badly I've been dragged through the press, as a result, save Perez Hilton who seems to think I'm the next Victoria Beckham?"

"Jessica, I hate to break it to you, but… while you're an excellent singer, but you're no Spice Girl…"

She threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "See? This is what I'm talking about! While you claim to be in love with me, you seem to have no regard for my feelings or my well-being!"

Dwayne's head dropped dangerously low as he whispered harshly to her, "Jessica, there are _people_ around."

"Oh, so _now_ you care whether or not our little secret gets out. Newsflash, Johnson," Jessica snapped at him, pulling her blackberry out of her pocket book and shoving it in his face. "It doesn't _matter_ anymore."

**Breaking News: Culprit Revealed – Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson came between John Cena and Jessica McMahon**

_A bloody fight occurred today between __**Dwayne Johnson**__, better known to the world by his alter-ego, The Rock, and __**Randy Orton**__, Jessica's once-rumored paramour, at the World Wrestling Entertainment training facility known as Florida Championship Wrestling._

_Eye-witnesses heard some of the trash talk occurring in the ring and were able to deduce that Dwayne was the one who drove the wedge between __**Jessica **__and __**John Cena.**_

_One of our moles in World Wrestling Entertainment has confirmed to us exclusively that he/she had recently learned of Johnson's advances towards McMahon and that they had begun as early as August of this year._

_Check back for more updates as People Magazine continues to investigate the story._

_

* * *

_

When he had finished reading the article, Dwayne's chocolate brown eyes shot up from the screen.

"I had to spend six hours this morning on the phone with my staff at headquarters, filing lawsuits against media outlets who were harassing Randy's fiancée. Stories were being published that he had broken up John and me and there were paparazzi camping out on her lawn," the Diva began sourly. "And then I had to call the police department in St. Louis to arrange protection for her because they were harassing her and becoming unruly. And you know what else I had to do today?" she challenged him, to which he remained silent. "I had to call Cody Runnels to dress up as a rich playboy, while I dressed up as a red-headed, tattooed rocker and Randy hid in the back of his rented Mustang, as part of an elaborate scheme to escape the paparazzi ourselves… and why? Because they had followed me to the hotel too!"

"Jess…"

"And just when I had managed to catch a break when those rumors were put to rest and I could go to FCW and teach those kids there about the business that I love, prolong the legacy my father, my grandfather, my mother, my siblings, and I had worked so hard for, _you_ just _have_ to show up!" she hissed at him.

Now it was his turn to become slightly annoyed. "What was I supposed to do, tell Dusty no?"

"YES!" Jessica exclaimed in exasperation. "You were supposed to tell him that you had better things to do in Hollywood than to return to wrestling in any capacity, even if for a mere day."

He shook his head. "_No_, I couldn't."

Her hazel eyes narrowed at him. "You certainly had no problem telling me or my father that before.""

"That's not fair, Jess," Dwayne replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You want to know what's not fair?" Jessica snapped at him. "The fact that I was in the middle of one of the happiest moments in my entire life. The love… of my LIFE had just asked me to spend the rest of our lives together and I had said yes, without even thinking twice. I had just asked Trish and Amy to be bridesmaids, we had hired one of the best wedding planners in the world, and after a year of suffering, I was happy again, I was myself again. It was pre-marital bliss… and you snatched that away from me. So don't you _dare_ try to tell me what's fair and what isn't."

"Ms. McMahon?" a light, feminine voice interrupted the conversation, causing both Dwayne and Jessica to turn their heads in the woman's direction. "Mr. Orton is asking for you, he won't let them finish stitching him up unless he gets to see you."

Jessica nodded graciously and relief washed over her. "Thank you."

The nurse nodded and returned to her station.

"I don't have time for this anymore, Dwayne," she sighed heavily, retrieving her purse from the seat behind her.

He nodded. "I understand. You have to go see Orton."

"No…" Jessica shook her head as she slung the bag over her left arm. "I mean _this_, between you and me and John. I can't spend the rest of my life alone, being indecisive."

"Then go back to him."

She sighed once again. "I don't know if I can."

"Because you don't think he'll take you back?"

"Because I don't know if I'd be making a mistake if he did," the blonde answered him quickly, rubbing a blood-stained hand over her tired face. "And I don't want to make a decision that will affect me for the rest of my life based on uncertainty."

Dwayne removed the hand from her face and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "Then come spend some time with me."

"Right now, I can't." She shook him off and pulled her hand away. "I just can't."

The muscular former-wrestler bobbed his head in understanding and returned his hand to his pocket. "If you change your mind, I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning."

"I have to get going…"

"I know… and I'm sorry. Not just that you have to go…" he quickly covered. "But because of Randy, because of how difficult I've made your life."

Jessica nodded and began to back away from him towards the exam rooms. "I know."

And with two parting words finally free from her lips, Jessica McMahon turned around and walked away, something she wished she could do permanently.

* * *

"I cannot believe you're ACTUALLY going!" the deep voice on the other side of the phone grumbled at her.

"I'm a big girl, Randy," Jessica retorted as she placed another tee shirt into her black suitcase. "Contrary to what you might believe, I was full capable of living on my own and dealing with my own problems before you came around."

Randy sighed in frustration, "You know that's not what I mean.

She readjusted the cell phone in the crook of her neck. "Yes, I do. But how the hell am I supposed to make my decision if I only spend time with John?"

"Easy," he replied quickly. "You pick _John_."

"That hardly seems fair," she remarked, miffed by his comment.

Randy snorted, "To who? Dwayne? Ha. He'll get over it."

"No, " Jessica clarified. "To me, Randy."

The muscular wrestler sighed again over the phone. "I just don't know what you see in him, Jess."

"I'd be a little worried if you did," she managed to laugh and then turned serious. "I know that John is one of your best friends and that you want what's best for the both of us, for each of us. But what if we're not really soulmates? What if there's someone out there that he's supposed to be with instead of me? And I'm supposed to be with Dwayne?"

For once, her best friend for the last few years of her life was silent.

"I know it's a reality that you don't want to face, Randy," she admitted with a sigh and zipped her suitcase shut. "But I need to do what's best for me. And you're going to have to trust that I'll make the right decision."

"I'm not going to stop you," he informed her, taking a drink of orange juice from his glass. "I know that when I come back from breakfast, you're not going to be there. Just be careful and don't do anything that you'll regret."

A feeling of relief washed over her and she managed to smile for the first time in nearly twenty-four hours. "Thanks. I won't."

* * *

_From: Dwayne Johnson_

_I'm outside. And I'm surrounded._

_

* * *

_

_From: Jessica McMahon_

_Do you want me to call the front desk and ask them to bring the car around the back?_

_

* * *

_

_From: Dwayne Johnson_

_I'll talk to the valet about bringing it around the back myself. Just go to the back entrance if you can. I'll text you when I get there._

* * *

_From: Jessica McMahon_

_Okay._

_

* * *

_

Ten minutes passed by slowly as she waited with one of the bellhops by the back exit. Finally, her phone vibrated within her right palm and she looked up anxiously at the cocoa-skinned man before her.

He smiled at her assuringly. "You probably will want to answer that."

* * *

_From: Dwayne Johnson_

_I'm out back. Whenever you're ready._

_

* * *

_

Her words were barely a whisper. "He's here."

The bell-hop, whose name she managed to make out on the name tag which read 'Thomas," rushed out the door with her bags.

Moments later, Thomas returned for her.

"Ms. McMahon?" he studied her face intently. "Are you okay?"

Snapping out of her trance, she nodded and reached into her bag. "Thomas, I really appreciate what you've done for me… you're one of few good people I have met in this town."

"It's my pleasure, Ms. McMahon," Thomas replied with a broad smile. "My older son loves watching you and the WWE on TV."

A slow smile spread across her face as she scribbled on a piece of paper. "How old is he?"

"He's seven. You and Rey Mysterio are his favorite wrestlers. The younger one is three, but he's still a little young to understand it all."

"I'm flattered." She grinned at him and handed him the piece of paper, along with a few $100 bills. "On that piece of paper is the phone number of a member of my staff in Stamford. Give her your address so that I can send your son something for the holidays. "

"Thank you, Ms. McMahon! I-I don't know what to say…"

Jessica smiled at him half-heartedly. "Just say you won't change. There are too many people in this world who are out for blood at the cost of others' happiness. Stay one of the good guys, Thomas."

* * *

**Every now and then, I get an email from Thomas and the boys. His younger son just started kindergarten and the older one still loves watching the WWE, but enjoys it more now that his brother watches it too. About six months before I began writing this, Thomas lost his job, but World Wrestling Entertainment is proud to say that we've got a great new employee like him working for us. **

**I know that talking about Thomas and his family kind of seems irrelevant to you, but it made me realize that my problems were kind of petty compared to a lot of other people's. In front of me was an incredibly sweet guy who was working in a hotel as a bellhop to support his wife and two kids.**

**And I was complaining about having feelings for two men?**

**So as Dwayne and I rolled out of the parking lot, and were subsequently swarmed by photographers, I wasn't as upset about it as I had been the day before…**

**Because I was successful, had a great family, and would eventually have a husband who loved me unconditionally.**

**I just had to find out who he was.**

**

* * *

**

"… and then you tripped and fell back against the turnbuckle," Jessica laughed, clapping a hand to her mouth as she could barely manage to finish the sentence.

"Which knocked you off of the apron and onto your ass on the steps," Dwayne finished for her, chuckling, as well.

"Don't you laugh! I had a bruise the size of a baseball for a week!" she retorted, smacking him playfully on the arm beside her on the couch.

He shook his head and flashed her his 1000-watt smile. "You know… it's times like this where I miss those days."

Jessica folded her legs underneath her and took a swig of coffee from her mug. "You could still come back. God knows my dad would sign the contract in his own blood."

His chocolate brown eyes dropped to the dark liquid in his own cup. "Nah, it's not the same. Everyone's gone. Well, everyone except you, the Hardys, Shawn, and Paul."

"Steve comes around sometimes too."

"But only when he feels like it," Dwayne countered with a shrug. "That works for him, though. It doesn't work for me."

Her head tilted to the side. "Why do you say that?"

"Because it's in my blood," he explained to her, taking a sip of coffee for a moment. "And if I go back, I can never leave."

"What's so bad about that?" the blonde asked him, a hint of an edge in her voice.

"Simone's getting older, Jess," Dwayne replied with a sigh. "And right now, Dany and I are sharing custody, which is what we intend it to be for a long time. Being an actor lets me come and go as I please. I can come home to Miami for a weekend, take Simone with me to L.A. for a while and let her hang out with me at home and on-set, and then take her back to Dany. I go back to that ring and…" he trailed off, looking back up at Jess. "It'll get back in my system again, just like it's in my blood. I don't want to wake up one morning to find that my daughter's eighteen years old, heading off to college, and I haven't been around for any of it."

Jessica nodded and instantly felt a pang of guilt for being so quick to judge him. "What does she think is going on right now?"

"She knows that right now, Dany and I are splitting. We didn't get into the details of being separated, but we felt that if we just explained to her that we're getting a divorce, she would better be able to comprehend it. We figured that we already had to explain to her why my mom and dad are divorced and why Uncle Curtis and Aunt Wanda don't have the same mom as her dad does, so it'd be a little easier to explain it with Dany and I."

"How's she taking it?"

He exhaled deeply. "As well as could be expected, I guess. We had to explain to her that we still were each other's best friends, but that we loved her very much too and it had nothing to do with her. It's getting better by the day."

Jessica chewed on her bottom lip. "Does she know about me?"

He shook his head. "No, she doesn't. I figured it's a hard enough situation to wrap her head around. I'll tell her when I have to."

The Diva nodded slowly and then placed her mug down on the coffee table with a loud clink. "Dany must hate me."

"She's wasn't very happy with you for a very long time," he replied seriously, placing his mug down, as well. "But in time, Dany understood that you weren't leading me on and that I came to the decision on my own. She told me that there was a part of her that always knew that our bond was a little more one-sided in certain ways."

"Do you regret marrying her?"

"Never," he stated with conviction. "Some of the years we were married were the best years of my life and together, we created Simone, the light of my life." Dwayne leaned back against the couch. "Do you regret anything about your personal life?"

The McMahon heiress took a moment to think it over. "I think the biggest thing I regret as far as family goes is that I spent too much time villainizing my father for doing what he thought was right."

"You were young, Jess," Dwayne assured her. "And while you were always wise beyond your years, it was normal for you to feel that way. I would have felt that way myself."

"It worked out, though. I got to spend a lot of time with my grandmother, which basically shaped my entire life."

Dwayne picked up his mug and held it out for her to toast with. "She was one hell of a woman."

"Yes," Jessica agreed and did the same, their glasses meeting with a loud clang. "She was."

Both of them drank from the black ceramics, then placed them down on the table.

Dwayne spoke up first. "And what about your love life?"

The coffee in her mouth was nearly spewed all over. "What about it?"

"You told me about your family life," he explained, facing her as she sat, legs folded, scooched up against the arm of the couch. Dwayne turned so he was positioned in the same manner. "You didn't tell me about the one regret of your love life."

"Oh," Jessica squeaked out as her eyes fell to her legs. "I think the there were two regrets I have in that aspect," she added, her hazel eyes flickering back up to meet him. "The first is that I tried to ignore my feelings for people I cared about and succeeded, somewhere in my subconscious. Obviously, I did that with you…" her eyes traveled back downwards. "And I did that with John."

Dwayne's eyebrows raised. "And what was the second?"

Jessica sighed audibly, flicking some of her blonde locks over her shoulder, "I wish that when John came to me at my grandmother's funeral, I would have let him back in my life. I wasted so much time being so angry that I let one of the most important parts of my life slip away. I was so miserable without my best friend in my life, but because I had to hold a grudge, I prolonged that misery much longer than I had to."

"You're prolonging your misery much longer than you have to now, you know," Dwayne stated softly, waiting for her to look him in the eye.

"I know, Dwayne," the blonde whispered sadly. "I think about it all of the time. I just wish I knew what to do."

"Look, you know what I think… so let's get your mind off of it for a little while!" Dwayne smiled and jumped to his feet then pulled her up to him. "Let's go out and do something."

She arched an eyebrow at him in annoyance. "Did you _not_ see us being followed here?"

He rolled his chocolate colored eyes. "We're going to hell as it is. The jig is up, Jess. Let's go out in a blaze of glory."

Jessica eyed him suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

One of the greatest things about Dwayne's house was the fact that it that the two guest rooms faced the front of the house and the street. Now that it was nighttime, you couldn't see anything unless it was light out.

Jessica was alone in her guestroom and had propped herself up on her knees, the one that had been operated on less than a year ago resting on a pillow.

Grasping a small black object in her hand, she clicked a button on its side and it crackled. "Are you there?"

The box crackled back, "Yeah, do you think I gave you enough ammo?"

Jessica looked down at the box near the wall and smiled. "Yes, I think so. This is going to be fun."

"That it will be," the voice replied. "I cracked the window about four inches. Since the lights are off, no one has seemed to notice. Did you open yours yet?"

"About the same. It'll give me enough wiggle room."

"Good. Do you have your goggles on?" he asked, his voice filled with as much static as ever.

The blonde rolled her eyes and clicked on her own walkie-talkie. "Dwayne, you ask me as though I've never shot one of these before."

A hearty laugh could be heard over the speaker. "Okay, okay. You ready?"

The Diva laughed and slipped the goggles over her blonde hair and onto the bridge of her nose. "Yes. Switch to Bluetooth?"

"Switching," he stated monotonously and soon enough, her cell phone rang.

Jessica pressed her hand to her ear and clicked on the Bluetooth. "You do know that as your guest, I automatically get first shot, right?"

"Yes," the half-Samoan chuckled again. "I knew you'd say that, too. I'm watching for your first shot. Let's take 'em down like snipers."

"I'll pick off the first one. You get the second. Then rapid fire?"

"Sounds like a plan. After you, Rebel," he replied wryly, and then was silent.

Jessica grinned like a Cheshire Cat. _I love that name._

She lifted the gun with relative ease, placing the black barrel onto the window sill and steadying it. Closing her right eye, the blonde peered into the scope and looked for a target.

Instantly, she ID-ed a man who had prevented the EMTs from closing the ambulance doors in order to get the exclusive shot of Randy on the stretcher and Jessica bloodied.

If she hadn't been so preoccupied, she would have hopped out of the vehicle and knocked him out herself.

But now she had her chance.

With her sights set on the obnoxious photographer, she took aim…

And fired.

* * *

He was hit square in the chest and the ammunition exploded red all over his camera.

From the surprise impact, his body flew backward, causing a multitude of other people to crowd around him.

"What happened?" one man asked from the back of the pack.

Another man, slightly in front of him, replied, "He was shot."

"Is that blood?!?" a woman in her mid-thirties gasped, taking note of the red all over him.

"No," the dark-skinned man hovering over him replied and crouched down to swipe the substance with his fingers, the shot photographer looking up at him stunned. "It's paint."

All of a sudden, the woman in the back screamed and fell forward. "I've been shot too!"

The dark-skinned man looked over at her and her pellet had exploded on her, staining her white blouse purple. "Paintball guns."

* * *

"Shot two fired," Dwayne spoke into his headset and then smirked. "Commence rapid fire."

"Commencing on three, two, one…" Jessica counted off and then smirked as well. "Fire."

And then she pulled the trigger.

* * *

**So after we shot at them with paintball guns, I got into a little hot water with my father, but we managed to stop it from hitting the press by agreeing to drop the lawsuit if they stopped trespassing on any private property. Those properties included those belonging to World Wrestling Entertainment, Randy Orton, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and myself. After that, they did not step on my property for a little under a year. Well, that is until I had a family emergency in October 2007, but I knew it wouldn't last too long. I was just happy to have my privacy back.**

**Taking out my aggression on the paparazzi was definitely something that I needed. Was it the smartest thing I've ever done? No. Was it the stupidest? Definitely not. But I needed to blow off some steam and technically speaking, they **_**were**_** trespassing.**

**In addition, I hadn't had that much fun in so long. Spending time with Dwayne was something I enjoyed and it became clear that neither of us were any less mischievous than we had been eight years earlier when I first started in the WWE. **

**In the moment, I was on an adrenaline rush. But as I lay in the bed of the guest room that night, all I could do was wonder if my enjoyment of our antics was some sort of sign. And it was… but later on, I realized… it wasn't the one I was looking for.**

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Phew. Sorry this took so long. This chapter was the last of my writer's block chapters. Just to let you know… chapter 17 is the last chapter before Jessica makes her decision. In 18, thanks to some creative thinking, she does finally come to a decision. I know!**

**_MAJOR EDIT (Feb 19th): This is the last chapter before Jessica makes her decision. As I sat down to write Chapter 17, I realized that I need two chapters to explain her decision. Therefore, EIGHTEEN WILL REVEAL JESSICA's HUSBAND!_**

**And what am I going to do with the last three chapters after that? Well, you're just going to have to wait and see!**

**By the way, this chapter was extra long as a result of reaching review 300! I'm so flattered, everyone! You have NO idea! Chapter 18 should come quicker, I promise.**

**Shout-outs:**

**Wrestlenascargirl – **Thank you! And yeah, it's Dwayne. Being Dwayne.

**Dreamin'BIG – **I think the problem was that Jessica and Randy didn't see it coming either. And yes, there is going to be a fourth She's a Rebel.

**Aaron W – **Thanks for the compliments! Haha. Randy. Must be the IED… idiot that he is.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena1021000 – **No, you're right. Dwayne didn't try to get her pink glove back. BUT he was there for her when no one else was backstage because they were treating her as though she was just like her sister, handed everything on a silver platter, without even knowing her.

**AlexiaCalaway – **Thank you!

**Purplefeather21 – **See? You DID have words for this! And thank you for the compliments on the story, compliments like these REALLY keep me going! I love writing Jessica when she kicks the crap out of guys.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **At least he won the Royal Rumble! No John this time, but we'll see what Chapter 17 holds. I promise you that John will be discussed in Chapter 18 and there will be a final conversation between him and Jessica.

**ThatGirl54 – **Aww, thank you! I love Cody a lot. I think John, as a result of Trish's letter, is just trying to give her some space. And yeah… it's McRock vs. McCena!

**Hotpocketbandit – **It was definitely meant to be intense. I know that the next two chapters are going to be emotionally intense, as well. And big surprise concerning Jess and becoming a triple threat next chapter.

**StarSixtyNine – **You haven't. But it's okay.

**Cena-holic8 – **Thank you! Mostly emotional struggle from here on out, I must say.

**Sambolina – **He still got to win the RR… as a consolation from getting his ass kicked by the Rock.

**Goddessofthenight – **Yeah, yeah. So do three other people BESIDES you. Bitch, what?

**Westfan – **I miss you and hope all is well with you! Randy is amazing, though. Both of our boys know that, haha. Send my love back home.

**Nic-002001 – **Yeah, crazy, right?

**iNdy MiLk – **It's okay. I'm just glad you reviewed!

**Chain Gang Princess – **He's okay! I swear! See?

**FrequentlyDazzled619 – **I know. It's insane!

**WinchesterAngel3389 – **Ahhh… Dean. Sorry, your icon distracted me. Glad you liked it! And I'm so impressed you finished the whole thing!

**RatedRCouture – **It's because I have a crazy, weird-ass mind, lol. But thanks.


	17. Chapter 17

Jessica McMahon hadn't made this trip since she was nineteen years old.

Most of her trips to Connecticut had been via the corporate jet or from a show on a commercial flight.

And when she was in the office for an extended period of time, she stayed with either her parents or her brother, then flew back to Massachusetts on the company plane.

But after spending the week in West Newbury, a week removed from staying in Miami with Dwayne, Jessica decided that she needed some time to clear her head in a quiet, neutral place place, something that her house next to the Cena family or a crowded Delta flight could not offer.

For the next few hours, it was just her, her Mustang, and the road.

* * *

"Aunt Jessie!" a small voice cried out, followed by the sound of little footsteps.

Her face softened as Declan rounded the corner. "Declan!"

The little boy launched himself at his aunt's legs, causing her to drop her numerous bags of presents on the floor. "I miss you!"

"I missed you too, buddy," she laughed and hugged him. "You've gotten so big since I saw you a few months ago."

Marissa's voice soon caught her attention. "I finally got him to stop staring out the window. Sure enough, five minutes later, you show up."

Declan's big eyes studied her curiously. "Where's Uncle John?"

"Oh…" Jessica trailed off and squatted down to his eye level. "Uncle John had to go spend Christmas with his Mommy and Daddy, just like I had to spend Christmas with mine. Since it's winter, it's not smart for your little brother and cousin to be on a plane since they're still kind of little and can catch germs from other kids on the way to see their grandmas and grandpas."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Ohhhh. I see. Are those my presents?"

Marissa mouthed an apology to her and she nodded, standing back up.

"Some of them, yes. But I had to get presents for everyone, didn't I?" his aunt nodded, tapping her nephew on the nose. "I bet you Santa's going to bring you even more presents, though… _especially_ if you've been a good boy this year."

The child bobbed up and down enthusiastically. "I've been a very good boy, Aunt Jessie!"

She reached out a deep purple-manicured hand and ruffled his hair. "I know you have, little guy. Go inside and tell everyone I'm here, will you?"

"Okay!" he exclaimed brightly and ran off to find the rest of the family, most likely telling his father the news first.

Jessica shook her head and laughed, bending over to collect the gift bags that she had dropped.

"Let me help you," Marissa offered, scooping up a few shopping bags. "I'm sorry about that. He's just very observant. How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright," her sister-in-law replied honestly. "I think it's just good to be home, for once. It hasn't been all of us here for ages." Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "And thanks for staying on the phone with me last night... and not telling anything to Shane. You have no idea how much that helped me…"

But before Marissa could add her own thoughts, a familiar voice called out from around the corner, "Jessica!"

A knowing smile spread across the face as Linda McMahon came into view. "Hey, Mom."

Her mother quickly covered the distance between them and enveloped her daughter in an embrace. "I was so worried about you, Jess. After that awful story broke, I tried calling you a thousand times, but you weren't answering your phone."

"I know, I'm sorry for worrying you," she began to explain as her mother's grip relaxed. "I just needed to disconnect myself from the world for a little while."

"I understand," Linda answered with a nod. "If a tabloid made up such vicious lies about your father and I, I'd certainly feel the same way."

Marissa's eyes flickered to catch Jessica's own gaze nervously and it was in that moment that Jessica knew what she had to do.

She had to tell her parents. She had to tell them everything.

"Actually, Mom…" Jessica started shakily. "Do you think that I could talk to you, Dad, Steph, and Shane for a little while? It's kind of important."

Marissa interred for the save quickly. "Paul and I will watch the kids. You go right ahead."

"Jessica," her mother addressed her sternly. "Paul and Marissa are as large a part of this family as the rest of us. Don't you think they should be involved in this conversation?"

Guiltily, she pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "They already know."

* * *

That was it. There were no more secrets between her family and herself. Everything was out in the open and Paul was on his own.

It was hard to look at her parents as she spoke, unable to distinguish one expression from the next for the first time in years.

Shane probably took the news better than the other three members of the family. He never wavered once in his expression, always nodding along sympathetically as she told the story. She had to give him credit, though. That was not an easy thing to do.

Her sister was another story altogether.

"Excuse me," Stephanie apologized preemptively and rose from her chair. "I have to go kill my husband now."

Jessica's hand shot out and pushed down on her sister's forearm. "Sit down, Steph. It's not his fault."

"Not his _fault_?" Stephanie's eyebrows shot towards the sky. "Are you _kidding_ me? He poked his big fucking nose somewhere it didn't belong!"

"Dwayne volunteered the information to him…"

"And he should have taken it to the grave!" she countered angrily.

Stephanie Marie McMahon was a lot of things in life. And sure, her relationship with her younger sister was rocky, at best.

But no one messed with Jessica and got away with it. Not even Stephanie's own husband.

"Look, I didn't come here to cause problems," the younger of the sisters held up her hands. "I just wanted to tell you four the truth because you deserved to know."

"We know that you would never cheat on John, Jessica," her father spoke up, his voice much more calm than it had been earlier. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that either way, with whatever you choose, we'll support you wholeheartedly."

"And we believe you, Jessica," Shane added, placing a hand on her shoulder at the kitchen table. "But this isn't about pleasing anyone except for yourself. Don't worry about what the press says or what dirt sheet sites say. Let them talk… you have to live."

* * *

**For months, I had hidden the truth from my family and it was a very stupid thing to do. It wasn't necessarily because I had to suffer through it myself, but more likely because they could have provided me with some advice that could have helped me reach my decision a lot sooner.**

**Mostly, it was because I had been forced to lie to them, while lying to myself.**

**It felt good to have everything out in the open. I needed the burden off my shoulder and strangely, as I walked out of the kitchen and down to the basement, I felt lighter…**

**I felt free.**

**I heard my father's footsteps behind me as I descended down the steps, but didn't even need my ears to realize his presence, judging by the look on his face.**

**And I'm not going to lie to you… there was a small part of me that smiled when I laid eyes on him.**

**Just a small one.**

**

* * *

**

"You," Vince growled at his son-in-law, causing his grandson to hide behind the couch. "Upstairs. NOW."

Paul nodded and begrudgingly skulked towards the steps, avoiding his father-in-law's gaze.

More importantly, avoiding his wife's.

* * *

"John?" a voice called airily across the table and the room grew silent.

His sapphire stare snapped back into focus. "What?"

"I asked you if you wanted more turkey," his mother repeated from the other end of the table, eying him warily.

John glanced down at his plate, which was still relatively full. "No, I'm not that hungry tonight, thanks."

Steve snorted at the notion. "Since when do you decline food of any kind?"

Promptly, Jamie smacked him on the arm, causing him to wince. "Shut up," she grit her teeth at a dangerously low volume.

"Kids," John's father cleared his throat and looked at his grandchildren beside his daughter-in-law. "Why don't you go downstairs and play for a little while. We'll call you back up when we're ready for dessert."

Within thirty seconds, the kids were nearly tripping over each other as they clamored to the basement.

Carol reached out and smacked her son across the back of the head. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Whoa!" Steve protested, dropping his fork onto the empty plate. "What is this? Let's hit Steve day?"

"No," his wife growled at him. "It's hit the biggest idiot at the table day… and guess what? You win!"

"It's fine," John assured his family, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm going to go upstairs for a little while. Would you mind sending the munchkins up to get me when everyone's ready to open presents?"

"Sure, sweetie," his mother agreed with a sad nod. "Just make sure to keep the door shut or they'll blindside you. They almost killed your father this morning."

Yet, despite her attempt at humor, Carol Cena could only watch her son turn and walk out of the room, without so much as a smile gracing his face.

* * *

The blonde looked herself over in the mirror, briefly at the green-sparkled initials on her black pants, marveling at the fact that she was now in a position she had not been in since she had blown her knee out almost two years ago.

Her motto tonight would be much simpler than her last: get in, grab gold, get out, go home.

Perfect alliteration, much better than John's Hustle, Loyalty, Respect.

With a light laugh, she rolled her eyes. That one had been his idea during his transition from his rapper gimmick to his current one.

Jessica knew that tonight, he would undoubtedly be retaining his title. In fact, just last night, she had solidified those plans herself. It was the least she could do for him.

She felt bad. No, horrible was a better word. She felt absolutely sick to her stomach at points.

At one point in time, her greatest desire was for them to be champions together, to pretty much run Raw… _together_.

And while, at the end of the night, they both might hold the gold… they would never stand in the center of the ring with their belts.

Hell, they wouldn't stand together at all because there was no McCena any longer.

There would just be John Cena, standing on the turnbuckle, trying to be strong when all he would really be was sad and alone.

And she was the one to blame.

* * *

Pain was shooting down her torso like daggers being carved into her skin.

This was not how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to triumph in the face of adversity, she was supposed to overcome the emotional odds.

Jessica McMahon was not supposed to be writhing in pain in the center of the ring with Mickie James looming over her.

She closed her eyes to stop the world from spinning and in her senses' heightened state, she could hear Mickie jumping onto the rope. As fast as lightning, she ripped herself as far away from the center of the ring as she could.

By the time she opened her eyes, her opponent was curled up in a ball in the center of the ring, clutching her ribs.

A smirk spread across Jessica's face and adrenaline began to course through her veins and travel around her body, bringing intensity with it.

The blonde used every ounce of strength in her black-attired body and pushed herself upright.

This was _her_ time, not Mickie's.

She reached out and pulled Mickie James to her feet, then DDT-ed her to the ground.

With a smile, she got back to a standing position even quicker than before and ran towards the turnbuckle, launching herself off into a corkscrew 450, perfectly falling on top of the current Women's Champion.

Jessica was not going to try anything stupid this time. She was going to end it… immediately.

With whatever strength she had left, Jessica dragged the Diva to the center of the ring, folded the brunette's legs into a triangle, and bent backwards.

There was screaming all around her and even upside down, she could make out the flashes of digital cameras from all sides of the arena.

Faintly, she could hear JR and Jerry Lawler screaming.

And then she heard a loud roar, followed by the sensation of pulling on her body.

The man in black and white stripes before her was trying to tell her something. No, he was trying to _give_ her something.

Jessica's hazel eyes looked down and immediately glazed over.

It was gold.

* * *

**I hadn't held championship gold in my hands since late 2003, at least not my own. To be honest, I admit that looking at the belt on the wall of my home in West Newbury was starting to make me long for it more and more as time passed.**

**But I had it, finally… and I was happy again. Well, as happy as I could be.**

**That night, everything went according to plan. I won the Women's Championship, John retained, and the show ended. Nothing indicated that New Year's Eve would be different than any other day.**

**But I should have known better.**

**I was in Miami for New Year's, as a result of New Year's Revolution being held there. Since it fell on December 31****st****, my father had the brilliant idea of throwing a New Year's Eve party for the company in the hotel ballroom.**

**I went home immediately after my match, stopped briefly on the way to the parking lot by friends backstage and fans once I made my way to my car. I was there another forty-five minutes or so and that was fine with me, as long as I didn't see John.**

**Fans had been pretty understanding of my situation, but it was getting harder and harder to dodge John backstage, especially when he came looking for me. To be honest, he did that a lot in the last weeks of 2006.**

**It didn't take me long to get ready for the party and by the time I got to the ballroom, the majority of the roster was there, save Dave Batista and John Cena.**

**I knew that Dave's absence, running on Dave Standard Time, meant he'd be there close to midnight. But he'd be there.**

**And I also knew that John would not.**

**As the last match of the night, it gave him an excuse to shower and turn in early. It also gave him an excuse to avoid me on the night in which couples kissed at midnight because technically, we weren't a couple anymore, despite the fact that his ring still resided on my right ring finger.**

**I thought that midnight would roll around, I'd slink away to my room unnoticed, probably cry for a while, and then head to sleep.**

**Little did I know that midnight would just be the start.**

**

* * *

**

Jessica took another sip of her Cosmopolitan as she listened to Barbie Blank ramble on about something, nodding her head as though she was listening, when she was actually waiting for something better to do.

It hadn't taken her long to pick out her dark jeans and black halter that slightly hugged her hips below the waistline. But it was taking a while for the younger girl to take a hint.

"Hey, Barbie," a deep voice interrupted the much younger Diva's tangent. "I haven't properly congratulated Jessica here on her title win, mind giving us a minute?"

The blonde shook her head enthusiastically and smiled. "Not at all!"

"Thanks," the wrestler mumbled as she bounced off in another direction. "Does that girl _ever_ shut up?"

Jessica laughed, lowering her drink to chest level. "Oh, she's just a kid. I probably never stopped talking when I was nineteen, either."

"You were two years from being champion when you were her age," her friend countered, shoving a hand into the acid-washed jeans that rested beneath his gray Affliction tee shirt.

The older blonde shrugged. "She could be too. You never know."

Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "Good one!"

She reached out and smacked him on the shoulder. "That's not nice, Dave! She really is a sweet girl!"

Dave Bautista rolled his brown eyes and took a swig from his beer bottle. "Barbie's nice and all, but she's as empty headed as the doll she's named for."

Jessica shot him a disapproving look and shook her head. "That's not nice."

"Come on, we both know she's not nearly capable of doing anything you did at nineteen in the ring, even in training, Jess," Dave replied seriously and then took another drink. "You're Women's Champ, she's a dancer. There's a reason for each."

"I thought you were coming over to congratulate me," she retorted with an arched eyebrow. "Not mock Barbie."

Dave wrapped his arms around her tightly, planting a kiss on the side of her temple. "Congratulations. The last time you won that thing, I think I was still on the damn sidelines after that fucking house show match."

"Oooh," she winced noticeably as they parted. "That's right. Well," the blonde continued, now with more enthusiasm, "I'm glad you're here to celebrate it with me this time."

Dave snorted and toasted the notion with his Corona. "Hell yeah, I'll drink to that."

Jessica laughed and raised her glass, earning a frown from Dave. "What?"

"Is that a… Cosmopolitan?" he asked, scrunching up his face. "That's a girly drink."

"Um… thanks!"

"You know that's not what I meant!" he exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. "I just meant that I know you can drink harder stuff and you're drinking that weak-ass shit."

"Sorry if I don't feel like drunk dialing to start off the New Year!"

"Speaking of which…" Dave trailed off and then glanced at the big projection screen at one end of the dance floor, which was currently displaying Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve on NBC. "Two minutes."

"Wow," Jessica marveled with a slow shake of her head. "So much has happened this year."

"I went from being married to divorced AND became a grandfather at thirty-seven," Dave sighed heavily. "Oh well, my life's fucked up. Might as well drink."

"I went from dating my best friend, to being engaged, to being at the center of a love triangle, and then went back to being single again," Jessica mused. "I think we both need to drink."

"Well, I'm not even buzzed, for the record," the burly wrestler stated bluntly, placing his finished bottle down on a table.

His friend scrunched her nearly-perfect nose at him. "Um, okay…"

His eyes flickered to the countdown on the screen and then back at her. "I'm only telling you this because I want you to know that I understand exactly what I'm about to do."

_11:59:00_

"Dave," Jessica squinted at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

_11:59:10_

He placed his hands firmly on her upper arms. "Listen to me, okay? You're one of my best friends and if it wasn't for you, I'd probably go insane relying on Randy Orton for advice… or get myself killed. I love you, Jessica, and I want you to be happy…"

_11:59:15_

"You know that I consider you one of my best friends too, Dave," she smiled at him and shook her head in amusement. "But you're not making any sense, here."

He looked down for a moment. "Man, this made much more sense in the car. Okay…"

_11:59:25_

"Okay."

"Right, so," the Washington, DC-native continued, picking up where he left off. "What I'm about to do is going to seem really weird to you and really out of the blue, but I promise that it will make sense after I do it."

"More than now, I hope."

_11:59:35_

"You deserve all of the happiness in the world, Jessica McMahon," Dave assured her, his grip as firm as before. "You're a wonderful person, not to mention a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. You're going to be a wonderful wife someday too, but I know your guilt is stopping you from making that choice."

As Jessica opened her glossy lips to speak, Dave held up a hand to silence her.

And then the countdown began around them. "Ten!"

"So I apologize in advanced for forcing you to make it now, but I really see no other way of doing it. I just…" her friend searched the floor for the answer and then peered back up at her. "I just can't stand to see you miserable anymore."

"Five!" the group of WWE employees around them began to yell. "Four!"

"Dave, you're freaking me out a little here," Jessica admitted hesitantly, eying him.

"Three! Two!" they continued to exclaim. "One! Happy New Year!"

Dave's deep chocolate brown eyes locked on her hazel ones, bordering on gold in the florescent lighting. "Happy New Year, Jessica," he told her softly and then pressed his lips onto hers.

For a moment, Jessica just stood there with her eyes closed, frozen solid, completely confused by what was going on.

And before she could even begin to process the multitude of theories that were swirling around in her head, Dave pulled away and she looked up into his eyes.

But as she studied them intently, she noticed… they had changed.

"Jessica?" he asked cautiously, staring back at her.

"Your eyes," she remarked, tilting her head slightly to the right.

His face softened instantly. "What about them?"

"They're…" the blonde trailed off, searching for a word. "Different."

Dave pressed her further, "Different?"

Jessica nodded, her loose caramel curls moving with her. "Yes, they're…"

He leaned in closer to her, focusing all of his attention on her in anticipation of her answer. "They're…"

Her French-manicured hand flew up to her mouth and she gasped. "Oh my God."

The suspense was killing the six foot, six inch, two hundred and ninety-pound Dave Batista. "What?"

* * *

**And that's when it hit me like a brick wall. **

**After Dave kissed me, I looked into his eyes and found that they weren't his. And it was in that moment that it dawned on me.**

**Dave Bautista is a fucking genius.**

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Oh, come on! You didn't ACTUALLY think I'd tell you at the end, did you?**

**I banged out this chapter over the course of the last three days and to be completely honest, I have all of the next chapter, Chapter 18 done. And guess what?**

**You find out exactly what she saw in the FIRST line of the chapter. And it'll give away exactly who she chooses! I swear, you'll be happy and sad all in the same chapter. Some of you might even cry. I know Charlie will. (Love you, Char.)**

**That being said… I want twenty reviews before I post the next one. That's more than fair, I think. We hit twenty in less than five days. I'd love to see how fast you review this one when you're dying for answers! Haha. I know I'm killing you via torture, but I'm sorry. I can't help it.**

**Plus, FF's decision to not let me log in was totally NOT my fault. I hope this hasn't tortured you too much.**

**Now, onto the shout-outs…**

**Queen Chaos-Hardy – **I'm glad you like it, even though you know who she's picking. But I hope you find the ending of this chapter surprising.

**Hotpocketbandit – **Undoubtedly so, but maybe he's the best thing for her. Who knows? And I'm so jealous, I got screwed out of my December show. I'm still pissed at the person.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Yes, Randy is just fine. And I think you should make Team Cena shirts! Haha. Although, you should probably leave someone else to make Team Rock shirts because you might make it look like a first grader's drawing out of anger.

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Oh come on, if you could paintball the paparazzi, you so would! And you will… next chapter.

**StarSixtyNine – **Hehe.

**Dreamin'BIG – **Thank you! I love paintball myself! The writer's block is gone! Isn't it amazing? I'm so happy!

**Sideways anger – **I'm glad Christian is back, but he's being wasted on the red-headed stepchild that is ECW. Smackdown could use the ratings! Put him there in the draft!

**FrequentlyDazzled619 – **She has to choose! I'm sorry, but she must. And you should talk to Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100… you can make shirts together! I'm happy they started up the McMahon-Helmsley Era again. I missed it so! And by the way, no review is EVER too long!

**CamieAnn – **Thank you so much! Paintballing is mad fun!

**AlexiaCallaway – **Well, sit on your hands no more!

**WinchesterAngel3389 – **Hell yes, he can. I miss Supernatural Thursdays at school. I liked watching Ugly Betty on HD via ABC's website and watching the show with my roommate. And you shall find out soon enough.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Seriously, understatement of the year! I think we should make a paintballing league.

**ThatGirl54 – **Thank you! Another member of the paintballing league.

**iNdY MiLk – **Thank you so much!

**Nic-002001 – **I hope this was soon enough for you. I know I haven't updated in less than a week in a while.

**Westfan – **I'm glad I made him easy to sympathize with. Aren't you so proud of your Davey for being the problem solver?!?!?

**Vjsimpact – **Thank you for giving the story a chance. I know that sometimes, when an author writes an original character into someone's past, it turns out as an unbelievable circumstance or as a disaster altogether. I'm thrilled that you can appreciate the intricacy of this story, as a result. I'm always impressed when people say they read all of the stories, but since we're nearing the end, you've pretty much read almost the whole thing to catch up. That's amazing. I'm so glad that this story has become one of your favorites and that you've come to read my other stories. Thanks so much, loyal Rebel. Rock on!

**Animal-Luvr-89 – **I am so impressed! And don't cry… although, you might next chapter. For reasons, I cannot say.

**Cena-holic8 – **You're quite welcome. I, for one, am more than happy to rid myself of writer's block! And you might be. While you won't see who she married, as in a MAJOR flash forward, you will see the continuation of this last scene. And that's pretty much a dead give-away.

**Well, there you go, everyone! Please review and let me know what you thought. In case you haven't realized, I do update Jessica's blog portion of my profile after every update.**

**Sometimes there are clues! Gasp! Review and then check it out!**

**In the meantime, I hope you've had a great week and will have a good few days (or less, hopefully) until the next chapter comes out. It's in your hands!**

**Rock on, Rebels!**

**Danielle**


	18. Chapter 18

_October 2, 2007_

John cringed as he felt the needle slide beneath his skin. While he had never been the type to complain about pain, he hadn't prepared for the stinging sensation. In fact, he never had an IV in his arm and now, at thirty years old, it marked the first occasion.

_Oh, goody._

"Mr. Cena," a blonde nurse in her late forties smiled at him as she placed medical tape over his wrist where the needle met his skin.

He looked up at her with cloudy blue eyes.

"Dr. Andrews will be in to speak with you in a few minutes. Afterwards, we're going to give you the anesthesia and you'll be in surgery a short while later," she explained.

"Thanks," he nodded as she left the room.

The last time he had a surgery explained to him, it was Jessica's back in 2005 and he remembered just how much hell had followed.

John shook his head at the thought and looked down at his left hand, where he was hooked up to the IV.

A lot had changed since then.

"John," Dr. Andrews addressed him as he entered the room. "Long time no see. You remember what we talked about yesterday. I can't say that I'll give you a six-pack of beer in your IV to knock you out, I'll need more than that. I think we'll put in a keg. You're definitely a heavier drinker than your girlfriend."

"Dr. Andrews…" John shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend anymore."

"Right, sorry," he apologized. "It's hard to get used to."

"Tell me about it," John snorted.

"Anyway, we'll get that keg of beer in your IV and then I'll see you later, alright?"

"Sure," John replied with a nod and watched as the doctor retreated from the room.

*

Slowly, the beeping of his heart monitor crept back into his mind, followed by the rest of the sounds in the room.

He felt dizzy. He felt weak. He felt numb.

Someone was holding onto his hand, but in his weary state, he chalked it up to a nurse taking his pulse.

"Maybe they did put a keg of beer in my IV," he mused groggily, his eyes still struggling to open as he caught a flash of caramel hair.

"I think that would bring your blood to an alcohol level that would put even Amy Winehouse to shame… then again, that's probably anatomically impossible, seeing as you'd kill yourself before you ever came to realize it."

John's eyes finally pried themselves open and he stared up into a pair of hazel eyes.

"Jessica?"

Noticing his vision was still blurry, she smiled warmly, "Yeah. It's me."

"How…?" he asked her, confusion in his sapphire eyes.

"Doesn't matter," Jessica shook her head simply and gave his hand a light squeeze. "All that matters is that I'm here, right?"

"I just… I just didn't think you'd be here," he shrugged and stared down at their intertwined fingers. "I mean, you were in Australia."

"John," she shook her head lightly, her loose blonde waves swaying with her, "Did you really think that when I heard, I wouldn't come running."

"I don't know. I guess," he replied, still looking down at his right hand, firmly within her left.

"You guessed wrong," she arched an eyebrow at him.

"How was your flight?" John asked her, finally looking up and making eye contact.

She sighed, "Long."

"How long?"

"Put it this way," Jessica began with a laugh, "From the time you arrived in Birmingham on Tuesday morning, until you went into surgery three and a half hours ago, I was in the air."

"That's a long time," he chuckled lightly and looked back down again.

For a few moments, they sat there in complete silence. The truth was that they hadn't seen each other in a month and there were so many words dancing on their tongues, waiting to be spoken, but a hospital room was not the place to do so.

John ran his thumb lightly over the diamond band of her left finger.

"John, I…"

"You know," he cut her off. "I don't think that I ever truly understood the commitment that went along with this ring. Well, until today, anyway."

"I really wanted you to be there, John…"

"Me too," he nodded. "Your father just really needed me this month, the whole angle with my dad and all."

"I understand," Jessica nodded, as well. "If anyone understands that, it's me. I just wanted to tell you that it's okay. It's okay for you to have priorities, John. I just had to go away for a little while, take a break. I mean, how long have I been wrestling non-stop…"

John shook his head, "No, Jess. This isn't the time or place. I'm on too many painkillers to be coherent right now," he added with a chuckle.

"Right…" she trailed off into silence.

"Come home with me."

"What?" she eyed him. "You're insane."

"You've got your suitcases, right?" John asked her, to which she nodded. "Fly down to Tampa with me. We'll pick up where we left off."

"We left off with a fight," Jessica informed him.

"Then we'll resolve it."

"Jesus Christ, John," she rubbed her tan cheek. "It's not that easy."

"You and I were never easy…" he trailed off with a knowing smile.

"It was always Liz," they added in unison, laughing at their own antics.

"So what do you say?" John asked her.

Jessica exhaled deeply, "I can take a few days. Why are you so hopped up to get me to Tampa, anyway?"

"I get to wake up like I did today," he replied with a shrug.

She leaned in closer to his bed, her forearms now resting on her thighs, "And how is that?"

"To your face," he answered. "I haven't for a while… and I… I just missed being with you, you know?"

She nodded, "I'm sorry."

"Jess, don't be, okay? You have a great career and I'd never want you to throw it away on me."

She nodded silently and stared down at her engagement ring. Only second in beauty to her wedding band, solely because it solidified her commitment to her husband, the diamonds sparkled in the fluorescent lights of the hospital.

John was the first to break the silence, "So what are you going to tell him?"

"Tell who?"

"Don't you play coy with me. You know exactly who I'm talking about."

A thin smile crept across her porcelain face, "I'll just tell him that there's somewhere else I need to be right now."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" John asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"Because you said it to me eleven years ago."

"Ah," He became slightly embarrassed. "I remember that now. It's the painkillers, I swear."

"I know, John. I remember how that was. Two years ago isn't so far in the past."

"It's amazing how little we knew then," he shook his head, the right scorner of his mouth curled upwards. "Who thought we'd end up this way?"

"Apparently, everyone but us," she laughed and stood up to open the blinds.

"Yeah, probably," John laughed, as well. "You should call Dwayne and let him know what your plans are."

"He's my co-star, not my father. I don't have to answer to him," she stated firmly. "I'm more concerned about you than any filming commitments I may have," she added, sitting back down at his bedside.

John reached for both of her hands this time and took them in his own, an IV in his left, a heart monitor on his right.

Once again, he ran his thumb over her ring, this time, the engagement ring.

"It is beautiful," John smiled longingly at her. "It matches its owner."

"Ehem…" a man cleared his throat from the doorway. "Good afternoon, Mr. Cena."

"Doctor Andrews," he nodded once and let go of Jessica's hands before pushing himself up with his left hand. "How'd I do?"

"Just fine," Andrews smiled and glanced down at his chart. "I must admit, however, I think I did the better job."

"I should think so," Jessica stated bluntly.

"Ah, Jessica," Andrews sighed, still reading over the papers before him, "How is that knee of yours holding up?"

"You did a great job, no pain whatsoever… and it's held up great in the ring."

"Good to hear. Well, John," the doctor with now-grey temples began, placing his clipboard under his arm, "I'm going to be sending you to a physical therapist in a few minutes, so just relax until then. Jessica, you're more than welcome to come, as well. She'll show you some stuff for you to make sure he does back in Tampa."

She nodded succinctly, "I'll be there."

"Good," Dr. Andrews replied and headed for the door. "You know, Cena," he turned around and stared at the younger man. "You have an amazing girlfriend."

"No," John shook his head and brought her hand to his lips. "I have an amazing wife."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Last chapter was the flash forward, so now, we're picking up where Chapter 17 left off.**

**

* * *

**

"They're blue."

Dave's smile slowly spread into a 1000-watt grin. "Go."

Jessica's eyes lit up for what seemed like the first time in five months and she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you!"

He watched as she picked up her purse and scurried away from him. "You're welcome!"

She pushed through a few people and wished them a fleeting "Happy New Year" in passing, no longer fighting the exhaustion that had previously consumed her.

As the blonde made her way across the room, she made a sharp turn for the exit door that lead to the parking lot.

Noticing this, Dave's brows furrowed and he called to her, "Where are you going?"

Still sporting a smile, she pivoted and yelled back to him, "There's someone I need to see first."

* * *

The drive across town was very difficult, more emotionally than physically as the GPS in the Super Bee prevented that from being the case.

Jessica had always found that the open road had allowed her to do some of her best thinking and it was the reason that she enjoyed the trip from city to city. Even if her companion in the car, be it John, Randy, or someone else, fell asleep, she had plenty of time to herself to think.

But the trip to her new destination wasn't that far away and she had to do a lot of thinking in the meantime.

How do you tell someone who sacrificed his happiness for you that you can't bring yourself to do the same for him?

Dwayne's house was looming in the distance and in what seemed like milliseconds, Jessica's car was parked in his driveway.

Glancing at the clock, she noted that it read close to 1 am.

Her heart sunk and she felt even more guilty than before. Not only was she most likely waking him up or disturbing him in some way, she was doing it to break his heart.

With a sigh, Jessica McMahon exited her car and shut the yellow door behind her, not even bothering to lock it as she threw on the hoodie she had taken out of the back of her vehicle. Who was really going to steal her car here, anyway?

Even if someone did, she figured that after what was about to go down, she would probably deserve it by the time they drove off into the brisk night.

* * *

She had to tell him and if she didn't tell him now, it would be never. Dwayne would find out about her choice eventually, just as the tabloids had found out about him.

Her slender finger was resting on the doorbell, poised to place the slightest amount of pressure on the panel.

Sure, Jessica could wait until the morning. She could even send an email if she thought that she couldn't tell him what she wanted to face to face.

Pulling her hand off of the doorbell as though she had just touched a hot stove, Jessica realized she didn't even have to tell him in person at all.

The Diva retreated backwards one step. And then another. And another.

And before she knew it, she was already at the bottom of the stairs.

Her eyes clenched shut and she sighed, shoving her hands into the pockets of her zip-up sweatshirt.

She couldn't do this to him, no matter how afraid she was of his reaction. She owed him this much. If not for baring his heart to her, then for all of the years he watched out for her, for all of the years he was there for her when no one would look in her direction with anything less than utter disdain…

For all of the years he made the whole in her heart that John had left in his wake a little bit smaller.

So Jessica McMahon retraced her steps and reached out a shaky hand, pushing the button that might as well been the doomsday button to end the world.

Because she was about to end his.

* * *

The door opened and he stood before her in a pair of acid-washed jeans and a black Affliction tee-shirt.

"Jessica?" he asked and the corners of his lips twitched, signaling what she was about to fear was coming.

He smiled.

Yet, it wasn't just one of those passing smiles. No, it was one of his smiles that would put arena lights to shame, one of the best she had ever seen on his face.

And it was wasted on her.

"Come in," he continued, motioning for her to come inside.

So she did. It wasn't like she could deny him anything now, anyway… not with how guilty she felt.

"I'm sorry to show up here so late," Jessica apologized, sliding past him into the foyer and turning to face him. "I was worried you'd be asleep."

"Nah," Dwayne waved her off with a laugh. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. That's the great thing about not being on the road… you can be up at one in the morning and not feel like you have a ten-pound weight pulling on your eyelids. Perks of an easy schedule, I guess. What's on your mind? I hope you didn't come all the way out here to wish me a Happy New Year. A text would have sufficed."

"I know." Her hands stayed in her pockets. "I just needed to talk to you, that's all."

He shut the door with ease and crinkled his brow at her. "Talk?"

"Yes, talk," Jessica replied with a nod, reaching up with her left hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

And within a split second, his hand had shot out of nowhere and locked around her wrist, freezing it in mid-air.

In shock, Jessica's hazel eyes darted up to his face, where his eyebrow remained arched as he gazed at the hand.

She followed his line of vision and then laid eyes on exactly what had startled him: her engagement ring.

For the first time in a while, she was at a loss for words. "I… I…"

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Dwayne questioned with an edge to his voice.

Still unable to speak, the blonde nodded and he dropped her arm, turning away from her.

His voice was monotonous, "So you chose him, then?"

"Dwayne…" Jessica called after him softly. "I chose him a long time ago."

"I did everything but rip my heart out of my chest and hand it to you on a silver platter, you know," he replied, pressing his hands onto the marbled kitchen counter.

Slowly walking behind him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "I know… and I'm sorry. I can't say that I wish things turned out differently, but I sincerely wish that I didn't have to cause you this much pain."

"How noble of you," he scoffed and she felt a slight pain in her chest.

No matter how much she knew it was out of anger, it didn't make his words hurt any less.

Jessica winced. "I guess I deserve that."

The half-Samoan sighed and slid his hands forward. "No, no you didn't."

Her eyes fell sadly towards the countertop. "I…"

"You followed your heart," he cut her off at the pass. "It would have been worse if you lied to yourself for my sake. I wouldn't want you to wonder 'what if ' for the rest of your life, no matter what the consequences were for me."

A lone tear scraped down her cheek, one that she hadn't even felt coming. "You've given me so much, I wish I could have given you more…"

Dwayne slowly spun around to face her. "In knowing you, I've learned so much. I've learned how to show compassion for others, even when they fail to show me the same courtesy. Hell, you taught both me _and_ Orton that… and that is one hell of an accomplishment," he mused half-heartedly, managing to crack a weak smile.

Another tear fell and her eyes grew watery. "Still, you deserve better."

"I have a daughter who is the greatest gift I could have ever asked for," he remarked, fondly speaking of Simone. "After all of the mistakes I have made in my life, I was somehow blessed with her. To want more, I suppose, would make me greedy."

Jessica pressed her lips together and shook her head. "To want more makes you human, Dwayne. You've taught me more than you'll ever know. In that ring…"

"I see the McMahon blood running through your veins," the former-wrestler finished for her.

"No," she countered, wiping away at one of the tears slowly descending down her face. "Everything I am in that ring is you. You inspire me, just like you've inspired millions and millions around the world for years. And for that, you deserve every ounce of happiness the world throws your way."

Emotions overcoming the both of them, Jessica and Dwayne slid comfortably into each other's arms.

"Dwayne," Jessica whispered, clutching him tightly. "One day… and I truly believe it will be someday soon… you're going to find someone who loves you just as much as you love her. She's just not going to be me."

He nodded into her caramel tresses. "You've become such a wonderful woman, Jessica… right before my very eyes. I hope that John treasures calling you his wife as much as I would have."

Releasing him from her arms, she pulled back slightly, forcing him to do the same. "Thank you."

For a moment, they just stood there in silence, staring at each other. And then the grandfather clock in the living room rang out.

"It's getting late," Dwayne remarked sadly, taking a step forward. "You should probably get going."

Her head bobbed in agreement and she followed him towards the door. "You're right."

The same strong hand that had revealed her secret a little less than an hour ago opened the door for her. "Goodnight, Jessica."

"Goodnight, Dwayne," she replied softly, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the cheek, her hand lingering as she backed out of the door.

As she walked down the stairs, Jessica felt his gaze on her back, but a few footsteps later, she felt the stare lift.

Moments later, she heard a light click and knew that he had shut the front door, confirming her suspicions.

Her slow strides quickened into paces, her paces quickened into a brisk walk. Soon, she was in an all-out sprint.

Before long, she arrived at her car and with an unsteady hand, opened her car door, all but flinging herself inside.

She fumbled with the keys, but finally managed to find the one she was looking for and placed it in the ignition. Hastily, the Super Bee backed out of the driveway.

* * *

It had only taken her two minutes to travel three streets away from the Johnson residence and a little more than that to have to pull over.

Tears flowed freely from her watery eyes as Jessica slumped over the steering wheel, clutching it tightly to her chest.

She had meant everything she had said to him, with all of her heart, but deep down, she knew that the other half of her soul rested within the boy who had retrieved her stolen pink mitten on a snowy Friday morning in West Newbury, Massachusetts.

But now, she was done with the regret, done with the sadness, and done with the guilt.

Wiping her eyes, the former-Women's Champion looked over at the clock.

_2:30 am._

Too much time had passed as it was, too many precious moments had gone by.

Her hand steady once more, she shifted out of park and began to drive forward.

Back at the hotel, the man who she wanted to spend every last second left of her life with was waiting…

The man who knew her better than anyone else…

The man who was her best friend…

The man who was her soulmate…

The man whose name was John Cena.

* * *

**A/N 2: Here you go, Chapter 19! Because I love all of you SO much, I've decided to extend SAR III beyond the initial 21 chapters that I planned. I'm not sure how many yet, but I will let you know when we're at the second to last chapter. It won't go beyond 23 or 25 chapters though. That, I CAN tell you.**

**The outpouring of reviews is mindboggling to me and I'm hoping that in the next two chapters, we can get to review 400. We're ALMOST there.**

**And by the way, we hit 20 reviews for Chapter 18 and voila! Chapter 19 appeared! Coincidence? I think not.**

**Shout-outs:**

**Queen Chaos-Hardy – **Yes, you have, Observant One! Good call, Char!

**Vjsimpact – **Thank you! That makes me smile!

**Cena-holic8 – **Yes, she did choose him. This chapter was the Dwayne conversation. Next one up is the John conversation… and by the way, it's very creative. Well, you'll see.

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Oh, no! Not more crying! Wedding is the last chapter of the story.

**AlexiaCalaway – **Haha. You're too funny!

**ThatGirl54 – **I truly owe you for that idea. And yeah, McCena is the dream couple. Perez Hilton will be very pleased.

**Aaron W – **Oh, I've so been known for being the queen of surprises! I kept trying to tell you guys not to write off John with hints, but I'm glad you liked it! And I can promise you, no kids this story.

**FrequentlyDazzled619 – **Haha. Yes, she married John. And no, I do not have another surprise. And DEFINITELY no pregnancy. Forget that!

**StarSixtyNine – **Nope, you won't. I wanted to tell you so badly, but alas, I wanted you to be surprised!

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **My pleasure! It looks like I might have SAR III done by the end of Spring Break after all.

**Animal-Luvr-89 – **Yep, she did. Did you really think I'd split them up for good?

**WinchesterAngel3389 – **No, no. It's John. Don't you worry.

**Sideways-anger – **Come on! You should know by now that Super Cena ALWAYS prevails. And yeah, Vince is a little dumb for putting Christian on ECW. But we'll see what the draft does.

**Nic-002001 – **Smiles all around!

**iNdy MiLk – **Thank you! I'm glad you liked the ending of the chapter, but you should know, it's so not the end of the story. SAR III is marching on. The wedding is the end.

**Chain Gang Princess – **Yeah, not too much more to go now. But I'm writing at rapid fire speed, so as soon as we hit 20 reviews, it's like BANG! New chapter!

**Sambolina – **Good! Because you know it's ME who is going to have to pay for all of this damn therapy!

**Hotpocketbandit –** Thanks! I am the cryptic-one after all!

**Kasey – **Hello again, Kasey. Yes, you did know it. And yes, Dave got it for you. Next chapter is the reunion. I promise.

**So that's it for now, everyone. Jessica's blog update will come after the next chapter. I don't want to spoil it for all of you.**

**Oh and in Chapter 21, which will feature some major wedding planning, Jessica will sign a contract of a new kind… one that places her somewhere she mentioned she was in the future. And you'll see the reason they got into an argument further down the line.**

**Rock on, Rebels, and review!**

**Danielle**


	20. Chapter 20

By the time Jessica made her way back into the hotel, the clock had registered 3:25 am.

The lobby was entirely empty, save for a few members of the staff and the occasional night owl. While she didn't check, she was pretty sure that the ballroom that had once housed the WWE's New Year's Party was deserted, as well.

But she didn't really care. None of that mattered now. The only thing that mattered was the fact that there was a man somewhere in that building she needed to find because she had a lot to say.

The petite woman in a black blazer at the front desk glanced up from her computer as Jessica approached. "Good evening, Ms. McMahon. How may I help you?"

"Hi," Jessica addressed her politely. "I need to know what room a member of the company is staying in."

The dark-haired woman nodded and began typing on her keyboard. "Of course, Ms. McMahon. Which room assignment are you looking for?"

Jessica's hazel eyes flitted around the room and she leaned forward.

"John Cena," she replied in a whisper.

She smiled and typed the eight letters into her database. "Room 321, Ms. McMahon. Would you like me to ring him for you?"

The blonde shook her head, causing her curls to sway back and forth. "No, thank you. I'm going to go see him first thing tomorrow. Have a good night."

"Thank you, Ms. McMahon… and if I may speak boldly…" she bent towards her and lowered her voice. "Go get 'em."

A smile played on the corner of her lips as she nodded in gratitude, turned around, and headed towards the parking lot once more.

* * *

The sun had long since traveled over the horizon of the Sunshine State as Jessica pulled into the long, paved driveway.

Sadly, she hadn't been to this house since September, but that was all about to change.

The blonde pushed open the driver's side door and exited the Super Bee. After closing the door, she couldn't help but smile at the fact that the car looked so at home in the driveway. It was though it belonged there.

It was as though _she_ belonged there.

Fumbling with the keys in her hands, she strode to the door and silently prayed that John hadn't changed the locks or the security system keycode.

Today was not a day that she needed to spend explaining to the police why she couldn't remember the code to her fiancé's house, nor was it a day that she felt like pulling the "Don't you know who I am" card."

With her well-manicured hand, she pushed open the unlocked door and immediately heard the beep of the warning alarm.

_4-2-3-7_

"System disarmed," it stated in its electronic voice.

Jessica kicked the door lightly with the back of her foot, causing it to shut with a click.

As soon as it closed, she made her way up the stairs and went right for the bedroom.

Immediately, nostalgia set in and she froze.

The room hadn't changed a bit. In fact, she suspected that John had hired a cleaning person to take care of tidying the house, since he was incapable of doing that when his fiancée wasn't around.

Her hazel eyes scanned the room and landed on her open closet. It was still full of her things, exactly as it had been the day John had told her to leave.

Slowly, Jessica crossed the room and took a step into the closet.

Thankfully, the cardboard box she had planned on showing him the night she left was still tucked away in the corner.

* * *

Driving along the Florida Turnpike, Jessica reached up and tapped the Bluetooth headset on her ear. "Preston, I am _so_ sorry."

"Oh, Honey, are you okay?" he asked her concernedly. "I haven't heard from you in months and I can't trust those tabloids to tell me the truth…"

"The wedding's still on, Preston," she told him, smiling to herself.

He sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God. I've moved ahead with some of the planning while waiting for you to return my call. I've been playing around with some table settings. How do you feel about lilies?"

Jessica laughed, genuinely happy for the first time in days. "I love lilies."

"Good, good. You have to come in very soon. We have to discuss your bouquet and your bridesmaids' bouquets. Oh! And their dresses… and your dress! Oh my God, you haven't even gone dress shopping yet!"

A grin spread from ear to ear.

_MY dress._

"I'll get John and I out of our obligations for house shows for the next couple of weeks," she replied brightly. "I know that I kind of screwed you over the last four months, Preston, and believe me, while it wasn't by choice, I'm going to spend the next six months wedding planning."

Immediately, Jessica could hear him turning pages in his office. "Okay, I'm going to block out a few days each week on my calendar. We have a lot of work to do. Dresses, favors, photography, videography, and then all of the floral work on my end. We've got to go to Oheka, Jess. We have to let them know where we're getting the cake from, where we are going to have the ceremony, how many guests…" he trailed off, furiously scribbling in his binder. "Oh! Guests… the invitations!"

Jessica briefly glanced in her rear-view mirror and nodded. "I've got that taken care of."

* * *

_321._

The number on the door was staring her straight in the face, but it was hard to believe that she was there, that she was ready to make her decision.

One last time, she smoothed down her jeans and the black halter that covered the upper half of her body.

_It's now or never, Jessica._

With an unsteady hand, the blonde Diva reached up and rapped sharply on the door three times.

On the other side of the door, there was a lot of rustling going on, with the occasional curse word thrown in. It seemed like this

Finally, the door opened.

"Jessica?" John asked her in surprise from the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

She ignored his question and instead, asked one of her own, "Do you have your key on you?"

He nodded. "In my pocket, why?

"Come on," she ordered him, a slight smile on her lips as she grabbed onto his hand and pulled him out of the room.

"Wait, let me shut my door!" he protested, pulling the door shut with whatever leeway she gave him. "Jess, where are we going?"

"To the car," Jessica replied as they walked down the hallway, her arm still locked around his wrist.

His eyebrows raised at her as they approached the elevator. "We have to be at the arena in two hours."

"I promise," she turned to face him as the elevator doors opened. "I just need your help for a little while, but I will make sure we get to the show on time."

He sighed and walked ahead of her into the elevator. "Fine, but if we're late, you get to vouch to your dad for me."

"Deal."

* * *

"I'll carry the box, you carry the printer."

"Why do I get to carry the heavier thing?" John pouted as Jessica pulled the cardboard cube out of the trunk.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Would you rather walk into the lobby in front of all of the other wrestlers, carrying a box?"

Wordlessly, the Massachusetts-native scooped up the laser color printer into his arms.

Internally, Jessica was laughing hysterically.

_Leave it to him to be oblivious to the fact that this is HIS printer._

"We're bringing this to your room?" he asked, backing against the door to open it for them.

She nodded and they continued towards the elevator. "I'm at the other end of the hall, same floor as you."

John pushed the edge of the printer against the elevator call button. "So you have an even number, then?"

"Yeah, 304," she answered him simply as the doors opened and they stepped inside.

"Cool."

_That's all he has to say?_

"So… there's been a change to your program with K-Fed tonight."

His head whipped to his right. "There has?"

"Stephanie was discussing it with me before, but I was in the card, so I wasn't really paying attention," she laughed innocently. "She'll probably fill you in when you get to the arena."

"I cannot believe I have to lose to him!" John exclaimed as the elevator opened to their floor. "It's not even believable, Jess. I can break him with one hand… like a toothpick! And I have to lose."

"It's not that big of a deal…" she assured him, turning right and walking towards her door. "Obviously, it's not a clean finish."

John leaned his right arm against the wall as he kept the printer in his grasp. "Clean finish or not, it's still Orton's fault."

Jessica rolled her eyes as she pushed open the door. "I thought you were over that."

"I am!" he replied defiantly, following her through and placing the machine on her table. "It doesn't change the fact that it sucks."

"Well," she sighed as she put the cardboard box down on the bed. "At the very least, there's something we can do to take your mind off of it. Can you do me a favor and connect the printer wires? I'll hook up my laptop."

"Sure," he agreed and began to sort through the cables. "Would you mind telling me what we're doing with all of this crap?"

Gingerly, she placed her Macbook down beside the printer. "This is not crap! This is very important!"

He smirked at her challengingly. "So important that you can't tell me?"

Jessica began typing away at her computer as she retorted, "So important that I'm ignoring your stupidity in order to work it all out."

"What exactly _are_ you doing?" John asked curiously, handing her the USB cable to hook up to her laptop.

She took it from his hands and plugged it in. "I am using an Excel document to do a mass printing. Do you like this calligraphy font?"

John peered over the screen and nodded. "Yes, very professional. What's it for?"

"You'll see," she smirked like a Cheshire cat and brushed a strand of caramel-colored hair out of her eyes.

He watched as she straightened back up and headed over to the cardboard box, opening it and retrieving a massive amount of envelopes from inside.

Her hazel eyes flickered up at him as she balanced all of the paper in her arms. "Can you open the tray for me?"

John did as he was asked and Jessica carefully loaded them into the printer tray, then shut it.

"We're going to test out the first one," she informed him, typing for a moment and then clicking her mouse.

The printer fired up and soon, one of the printed envelopes were ejected into the top tray. His interest piqued, John picked it up.

_Mr. John J. Cena_

_2324 Castle Court_

_West Newbury, MA 01985_

"Jess?" his eyebrows furrowed as he looked over at her with confused blue eyes. "Why are you sending a letter to my dad?"

Jessica rolled her eyes at him as he continued to stare at the address, proceeding to start the print of her entire address list. "It's not a letter, John. It's our wedding invitation."

"Oh…" he nodded slowly and then his head shot up. "Our what?"

A slow grin spread across her porcelain face. "Our wedding invitation, John."

The envelope slipped through his large fingers and fell to the ground. "_Our_ wedding?"

"Yes," the blonde bobbed her head in response, laughing at his shock. "Our wed-"

But before she could get the words out of her mouth again, John's lips were already on hers, kissing her fervently.

After a little while his fiancée pulled away, pressing her hand against him gently. "I need to breathe. Don't kill me before I even get to walk down the aisle."

His azure eyes sparkled and he grinned at her brightly. "I'm just… I'm just really happy, Jess. What made you decide?"

"Aside from this huge rock on my left hand?" Jessica joked sarcastically and held up her hand for effect, but then turned sincere. "Dwayne is my past, John. He temporarily filled the hole in my life that you had created when you left, but he never filled the hole in my heart. Only _you_ could do that. And now, it's gone again."

John placed a finger under her chin and tilted it up towards him. Then he kissed her gently. "Forever."

She snaked her arms around his neck and sighed in content. "I like the sound of that."

"You know what else I like the sound of?" John slipped his own arms around her waist as the printer continued working its way through the task.

The Diva chewed her lower lip. "What?"

"Jessica McMahon-Cena."

* * *

John and Kevin circled each other in the ring for about five minutes.

It was then that Federline decided to take off his boxing robe, with some coaching from Johnny Nitro, and the ref signaled for the bell.

Mocking K-Fed, John offered off a free headlock, which he locked in. However, John picked the smaller man up and dropped him back to his feet on the mat.

Impatiently, John waited as Kevin returned to Nitro in the corner for some more advice.

The "Cena" chants began coursing through the arena as his opponent walked back to the ring and Nitro tossed a chair into the ring.

With a roll of the eyes, John sat in the chair propped up in the center of the ring and held his arms up, allowing Federline to try a Masterlock.

Quickly losing his composure, John broke it and pushed Kevin back towards the corner.

Ditching his headgear and gloves, Kevin held his hand up for a strength test. Once again, Cena humored him and when he tried to lock in an armbreaker on the mat, the wrestler lifted him up with one arm and sat him on the turnbuckle nearest the ramp.

As he sat on the corner, Nitro entered the ring and John promptly clotheslined him, kicking him well out of the ring.

In turning his back on Federline, John left himself susceptible to a low blow, which the rapper landed with a kick. The mistake the amateur made, however, was taunting his opponent.

With a scowl, John hoisted Kevin onto his shoulders, preparing for the FU.

But as he turned around, he was met by Umaga, his opponent at the upcoming pay-per-view, and his manager, Armando Alejandro Estrada.

With massive right hands, he smashed him in the face and chased the referee out of the ring when he tried to intervene.

But it was legal and there was nothing he could do.

With a menacing glare in his eye, Umaga held up the championship belt and ran it into the face of the WWE Champion, leering over him as he lay unconscious on the floor.

Directed by Estrada, Umaga backed out of the ring, allowing Federline to return to the ring and lay on top of John for the three count.

As Federline and Nitro taunted his unconscious form in the ring, and Umaga hung around the outside, the crowd suddenly erupted.

Catching sight of the young woman rushing down the ramp, Umaga and Estrada quickly bailed out through the crowd, leaving Johnny Nitro and Kevin Federline in the center of the ring to fend for themselves.

Being the more experienced of the pair, Nitro stood in front of Federline as Jessica McMahon slid between the mat and the bottom rope.

In a pair of destroyed jeans and a black tank with the word "Rebel" emblazoned across it in red Old English text, the blonde hopped to her feet and stared up at Johnny viciously.

The taller man rolled his eyes at her and began to walk away, but she caught a hold of his arm and pulled him back to face her, a mic in her hand. Moments later, Nitro had retrieved one of his own.

"What do you want, Jessica?" the long-haired wrestler asked in exasperation.

Her hazel eyes glared up at him. "Watch your damn mouth, Nitro."

"Come on, McMahon!" he laughed, Federline joining in with him. "What are you going to do? Discipline me? Fire me? I'm sure your father would be thrilled with that. You can't do anything to me, Jessica. You can't touch me OR Federline."

Jessica clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the microphone. "Take it back."

"No."

She took a step forward. "I said… take it back."

Nitro advanced a step, as well. "And I said… no."

"Fine," she replied with a nonchalant nod. "Then you first."

The microphone slipped through her fingers and cracked against the mat beneath them. Out of nowhere, she reared back and socked Nitro in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Wasting no time whatsoever, Jessica ran towards the ropes and bounded off, landing a moonsault on top of him. She bounced onto her heels once again and yelled down to him, "Not so tough now, are you, Nitro?"

With a smirk, she stood directly in front of him and threw herself backwards, landing his own move, a standing shooting star press, right on top of his body.

As she got to her feet once more, Jessica turned her attention to Kevin Federline in the corner of the ring.

Locking her eyes on him, she ran towards him in the corner and as he began to cower, stopped directly in front of him.

Laughing she backed away, luring him forward. As soon as his guard was down, she bent low, slowly undoing the latch on the back of her belt.

Federline turned around… and ran right into Jessica's title belt.

When she was sure that both men were out cold, Jessica dropped to her knees beside John and began to talk to him, checking to make sure he was okay.

"I think we killed it," she whispered to him, still feigning concern.

"No, baby," he corrected her softly, his eyes still closed. "_You_ killed it."

* * *

"Jessica!" a shrill voice caught her attention and caused her to pick up her pace. "Jessica Juliette McMahon, don't you walk away from me!"

John snickered next to her. "Busted."

"Future sister-in-law," she replied softly in a sing-song voice as she turned around.

"You should have told me you were changing the plans! I head Creative!" Stephanie complained, tapping a foot at her expectantly.

Jessica shrugged. "I didn't want to leak it. Bet I singlehandedly cause the ratings to spike next week."

"They did go ballistic out there," her sister admitted begrudgingly. "I will give you that. Listen, I've got to run… but does this mean the wedding's back on?"

John glanced over at his fiancée and brought the back of her hand to his lips. "Yes, the wedding is back on. Now if you'll excuse us, we have wedding invitations to stuff back in the room."

* * *

"That's the last one!" John announced to his fiancée, placing the last stamp on an envelope addressed to one of his brothers.

Jessica glanced around, impressed by their task. "First thing tomorrow, we'll drop them off at the post office."

He tossed the sealed envelope into the nearly-teeming cardboard box, effectively clearing off everything but the table. "You sure you want to do that first thing?"

The blonde Diva standing before him smirked knowingly. "Hmm… do you have any better ideas?"

John rose to his feet and pressed his lips against hers. "I have some…"

"Me too," she replied, running a finger along the outlines of his pecs. "But most of mine involve you shirtless."

Not missing a beat, John stripped off his black tee shirt and tossed it on a chair. "How's this?

The 5'7" woman allowed the left corner of her lip to pull upwards and pushed him lightly back onto the bed. "It's a start."

* * *

**A/N: This fun/flirty/sexy/emotional chapter was in honor of review number FOUR HUNDRED! I can't f-ing believe it! You guys are awesome!**

**I'm sorry that I didn't post sooner, but I was on vacation and enjoying the Floridian sun way too much. And then, oh yeah... there was this little thing called the World Baseball Classic I attended. Front row, behind home plate. Yeah. That. I love me some David Wright. Shameless plug: **

**Anyhoo... I hope you enjoy this chapter. With two papers due tomorrow, I cannot do my normal shout outs. However, I WILL do a double dose of shout-outs during my next chapter to make up for it!**

**There's going to be a new poll up starting up after the next update and I'll probably be able to tell you She's a Rebel IV's subtitle. I think.**

**Rock on, Rebels!**

**Danielle**


	21. Chapter 21

"Preston, I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry," the cocoa-skinned man apologized as he released her from his tight hug. "I'm just so glad that you and John are moving forward with the wedding. It's an honor for me to plan this."

Jessica smiled at him and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Thank you. Trust me, I'm happy to be moving forward too. What's on the list for today?"

Preston flipped through a few pages in his planner and finally came to the date. "Well, we have two stops today. We've got an appointment with Sylvia Weinstock at one and then we're off to Oheka. Will John be joining us?"

"He will be," she nodded as he walked away from his desk. "John has an appearance at a Gold's Gym until noon, but he wants to come to all of the appointments that don't involve dresses. He wants to meet us there," she added with a smile.

Preston glanced at his watch and replied, "Well, it's only nine. We can take a look at some bridesmaid dresses in the meantime. I'll check to see if any of the designers have an opening this morning."

Jessica nodded eagerly. "That'd be great."

"Alright," the planner began, taking a seat at his desk. "I'm going to go through my rolodex," he decided and pressed a button on his phone. "Stella, get us some mimosas. We're going to be here a little while."

* * *

The blonde bride-to-be placed her newly empty champagne glass next to the one she had cleared before. It was bad enough that she had drank two, but John would be pissed that she'd consumed alcohol so early in the morning.

After all, she would most likely have done the same to him.

Jessica heard the phone click and Preston hopped to his feet. "Got one!"

"Which one?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Preston began to gather his things, including his coat and his binder. "Bill Levkoff, let's get moving. He had a cancellation at ten and will meet with us for as long as we need, as he only has one appointment per day."

"Preston, it's nine-thirty."

"I know," he answered her and stopped at the door. "Move your ass."

**

* * *

**

"Jessica!" the designer greeted her brightly as his secretary escorted her into his office. "It's fantastic to finally meet you!"

"Thank you," she responded politely as he kissed her cheek. "It's great to meet you, too. I'm glad Preston managed to get a hold of you."

He adjusted his black horn-rimmed glasses and laughed. "Well, Preston is a miracle worker."

"Well, I'm a little behind in my wedding planning, so hopefully, you can be a miracle worker, as well," she joked, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.

"I will do my best. Did you have anything in mind?" Bill asked, leading her to the table and chairs set up in the front of the room. "Color? Style? Length?"

Both she and Preston sat down in chairs, side-by-side. "I know I want something in the red family, definitely long."

"Okay…" he trailed off with a nod and flipped open his sketch pad. "Something red and long. Do you want it very detailed?"

The blonde chewed on her lower lip and thought. "I want it clean and simple, nothing too flashy. I don't want them to get lost in the ceremony, but I don't want it to be too over-the-top."

"Strapless with an even hem?" he offered, starting to sketch out a silhouette.

She attempted to hold on her laughter. "My sister will love that."

"Do you want all of the dresses to be the same or do you want each one to have little differences?"

"I'd rather have uniformity than warring bridesmaids," Jessica snorted as he finished some minor details on the sketch. "And trust me, my sister will start the war."

"How many are there going to be?" the designer asked curiously, glancing up at her for a brief moment.

"Well, there's my sister, Stephanie, my sister-in-law, Marissa, John's sister-in-law, Jamie," she began, counting them off on her fingers. "My co-workers, Amy and Trish, and Samantha, the fiancée of my other coworker, Randy."

Bill placed his pencil down on the table. "Six dresses then?"

She sighed. "Yep. Six dresses."

He turned the pad around towards her and Preston. "Pretty simple, basic strapless neckline, a little rouching around the midsection, and floor-length. Very clean, but very elegant."

She tapped a pink-manicured fingernail against her chin. "Something is missing. Something to complete it… it just seems a little…"

"Bare?" Preston interred.

"Yes!" she replied exasperatedly.

The older designer tapped his chin. "Let's try this…"

A few moments later, the sketched bridesmaid was outfitted with a wrap.

A slow smile spread across Jessica's face. "Perfect!"

"Excellent!" He grinned as he stood up and walked over to the double doors that were made of frosted glass, pushing them open.

Beyond the doors rested ceiling to floor shelving, organized in aisles as if they were in a grocery store. The shelves were stacked to the brim with fabric rolls in all different colors, prints, and types.

"Now… let's pick a fabric!"

* * *

John Cena was absolutely exhausted.

In order to make sure that he could accommodate all of the fans who walked into the gym, John had to wake up at seven in the morning.

He was not a morning person, no matter how much he loved/needed his coffee. Sometimes, he even found himself shaking when he didn't consume any at the beginning of his day.

And while he thoroughly enjoyed talking with his fans and signing whatever they wanted, he was tired and anxious to be with his fiancée.

She would kick his ass for being a zombie, but when they drove over, he'd sleep in the car while Jessica and Preston talked.

And then he'd be ready to go.

"Come on, John…" one of the regular gym rats tried to coerce him. "Just fifteen minutes."

"Nah, man. I can't. Any other day, I would," John assured the man who was about his size.

"Bro, you sure?" the owner of that particular gym asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The wrestler nodded. "My girl will kill me if I'm late. We're going to the place we're having our wedding reception in June. I can't miss it. I don't want to miss it."

The weightlifter dropped the barbell to the ground and stared at him. "The wedding's still on?"

* * *

_To: Jessica McMahon_

_From: John Cena_

_You can consider the beans officially spilled. My bad._

_

* * *

_

_To: John Cena_

_From: Jessica McMahon_

_I give the tabloids an hour. You want under or over?_

_

* * *

_

_To: Jessica McMahon_

_From: John Cena_

_Over._

_

* * *

_

_**BEST NEWS… EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR!**_

_It's back on! The wedding of Jessica McMahon and John Cena is back on! They've patched up their relationship and are continuing down the path to the altar._

_The wedding is scheduled for June._

_Thank God!_

**

* * *

**

_**People Exclusive: McCena back on!**_

_John Cena appeared at a Gold's Gym promotional event in New York City this morning and left around 11am. In order to excuse him from staying later than scheduled, John told the crowd that if he didn't leave on time, "my girl will kill me."_

_And that sentence was followed by "We're going to the place we're having our wedding reception in June._ "

_

* * *

_

_To: John Cena_

_From: Jessica McMahon_

_You lose._

_

* * *

_

_To: Jessica McMahon_

_From: John Cena_

_Wait… what? How do you know?_

_

* * *

_

_To: John Cena_

_From: Jessica McMahon_

_I do have people who work for me, remember? And where are you? Preston and I are waiting!_

_

* * *

_

_To: Jessica McMahon_

_From: John Cena_

_I forget that I'm marrying an Executive Vice President sometimes. _

_I'm a block away._

_

* * *

_

The drive over to Oheka was relatively easy with the exception of a small amount of traffic on the way out of the city. To make matters less difficult, Vince had made sure that one of the corporate drivers was at their disposal for the duration of the wedding planning.

And making Jessica's life the least stressful possible, John was sound asleep on one of the benches in the limousine.

"Is he okay?" Preston asked curiously, leaning in towards Jessica.

"He's fine," she laughed lightly and stuffed her Blackberry back into her purse. "If he starts snoring though, I'll have to wake him."

The wedding planner suddenly grew nervous. "Why?"

"Because he's loud as hell."

"Oh."

* * *

After the last turn off of the main road, Jessica and Preston watched as lush green grass past by them with no end in sight. The edgings between the paved road and the grass were lined with beautiful flowers of every color, shape, and size.

Jessica scooted to the end of her seat and placed a hand on her fiance's shoulder, gently shaking him awake. "John, wake up…"

He groaned and stretched out his arms and legs. "Are we there?"

"I think so, look outside," she instructed him and pointed to the window.

His cerulean eyes followed her hand and gazed out of the window. "What is this?"

The blonde stood up and took a few steps towards him, then sat down next to his large body. "This is what our guests are going to see on the way to our wedding."

Her hazel eyes studied his face as a slow smile spread, orbs still fixed outside the window, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Six months seems like a long time," she sighed, nuzzling his warm skin.

John wrapped his left arm around her and pressed his lips to her temple. "I've waited twenty-one years for you. What's another six months?"

Suddenly, the overwhelming castle appeared in the distance and slowly, grew larger.

Jessica's breath caught in her throat and John vocalized her reaction. "Wow. It's…"

"Perfect."

* * *

Jessica tugged on the bottom of her shirt, straightening out any wrinkles as the three waited for a representative from Oheka to greet them.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a dark-haired man in an expensive suit turned the corner and headed straight for them.

They rose to their feet as he greeted them. "Preston, it's great to see you again! Ms. McMahon! Mr. Cena! It's truly a pleasure…"

They both nodded and stood up to shake his hand, with John remarking, "Please, Jessica and John."

"My name is Rick and I'll be handling everything regarding your wedding here at Oheka," he explained politely. "I have your binder with me in my hands," he added, patting the dark blue plastic for effect. "You don't have to make all of your decisions today and you can always get back to me on anything later. I understand this is a lot to process, but if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask."

"Believe me," John replied with a laugh. "She'll ask."

"Excellent," Rick smiled. "We're going to do a full walkthrough today of the property and the grounds. Were you planning on having the ceremony here?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes. Neither of us have a particular affiliations with any local churches, but we were hoping to have the priest from our hometown come down to marry us. He knows us both very well."

"That's not an uncommon decision amongst couples. Preston, if you could send me his contact information, I'll get in touch with him to workout the logistics."

Preston quickly pulled a piece of paper out of his own binder and handed it to Rick. "Here you go."

"Thank you. Now, were you interested in an outdoor ceremony or an indoor one?" he asked.

"I think we wanted something outdoors, but were a little wary about it," Jessica admitted, looking towards her fiancé.

John agreed with her, "We're not exactly from an area in which the weather is consistently dry for any period of time. June is typically a drier month, but anything can happen."

"We only have one wedding at a time here, so we can plan for an outdoor ceremony. If there is inclement weather the day of, we will move it indoors. The structure of the room we would use inside allows us to use the same configuration of seating, decorations, etcetera… as we would inside."

The blonde was satisfied by his answers. "So then, yes… outdoors."

He nodded and scribbled something in his binder. "Do you have an estimate of how many guests you'll be having?"

Preston stepped in to answer the question. "They invited around three-hundred fifty, but we're figuring around three hundred will attend."

"The Terrace room is where receptions are typically held," Rick explained to them as they started to walk towards the outdoors. "It can hold up to four hundred guests comfortably, but can hold as few as one-hundred and still be a very intimate setting. I will show you that room after we take a look outside…." He trailed off as they approached the French doors. "Shall we?"

Jessica and John turned to look at each other and nodded. With a reassuring smile, her blue-eyed fiancé laced his hands with hers and they stepped forward…

Taking one step closer to the rest of their lives.

* * *

**A/N: I am posting this chapter today, in honor of my birthday. So what if I'm a little narcissistic today, I deserve to be. Nineteen years old… last year of being a teen. I'm a little floored by that.**

**In case you guys didn't know via More Than Words or my profile, I've started up a Twitter account that will keep you updated as to my progress on various fictions. In fact, if you would have been subscribed to it already, you would have known a few quotes from this chapter… **

**AND THE TITLE OF SHE'S A REBEL IV!**

**Until the end the story, which will be chapter 23, the only way you will find that out is to subscribe to Twitter. Incentive, anyone?!?**

**Anyhoo… shout-outs:**

**Dreamin'BIG - **That was a fun McCena reunion in the ring, huh? I guess the fans are kind of appeased for now.

**Sweetortonlover86 – **Thank you! I was a little nervous as to how it'd turn out, but I'm thrilled with the reaction. As for the printer, I think the last thing that John would think is… "She drove 4 hours so that she could pick up my printer?" He probably doesn't even know his own printer model, lol.

**Jun6293 – **Oh, I'm just glad you're reviewing now! I was at all six games in Miami, 1-6, including David's game-winning hit in game five. I couldn't not go when I was in the area visiting my grandparents. David and I have a good relationship… couldn't not support him there.

**Sambolina – **Glad you liked it!

**CraftyTink529 – **THANKS! If I made her just show up and jump his bones, there wouldn't have been much of a chapter and I'm not one for writing sexually explicit chapters, haha. I'm glad you liked the Dave-resolution, but I can't take full credit. I was inspired by a reader!

**iNdy MiLk – **Thanks, girly! All done for now, but more to come soon. Booooooo to that!

**Cena-holic8 – **Thanks for the support, girl!

**Sideways anger – **THANK YOU! I was nervous about this chapter, but now that I see it's enjoyed, I'm so happy. Indeed… priceless is the word.

**RatedRCouture – **Yes! Tis on!

**XxFluTePrinCessX – **Thank you!

**FrequentlyDazzled619 – **I do think that McMahon-Cena has a much better ring to it than McMahon-Johnson. We're going to address that name change next chapter, I believe. You shall see. If you look at Twitter and follow me, you'll find it. And yes, time changes suck. I went from the East Coast to England, then France, then Italy, then Greece in fourteen days two summers ago… and changed time zones four times. Then came back 8 hours to New Jersey when I returned on the 14 hour flight from Greece. Ugh. It was rough! Have fun at Wrestlemania!

**Queen Chaos-Hardy - **Well, this time it actually came! And I was thrilled! It was such a great birthday present and I can't wait to see how it ends. And I will tell you the color the next time that you're online. Umm… PS: You need to tell me yours too. Like, for realz. I want to hear all about your plans as I'm now in full wedding-obsession mode!

**Hotpocketbandit – **Happy endings ARE pretty kick-ass, aren't they?

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Come on, Nikki! Did you really think I'd build them… and you all… up for two stories and kick them down? Jess was created in my image (not to make myself omnipotent or anything), so of course she'd be happy with John.

**Vjsimpact – **Thank you. I'm flattered. Wedding will come in TWO chapters. Just wait until Stephanie goes with Jess to pick out a wedding dress and sees what her dress will look like. Let hell ensue.

**Nic-002001 – **It was a blastie blast. David Wright is a pretty chill guy and it was nice to see him again. As a baseball lover, it was a fun event to attend.

**Chain Gang Princess – **What a lovely dancer you are!

**Westfan – **Yeah, way to go, Kasey! Haha. Just kidding. Two more to go!

**So that's really it, sports fans. I hope you all are doing well in school and that everything is well with you.**

**Well, go check out 12 Rounds… and add me on Twitter.**

**Oh, and review!**

**- Danielle**

**PS: Check out Queen Chaos-Hardy's new story, Something in the Air. It's pairing?**

**Me/John YAY!**


	22. Chapter 22

**It was the day I anticipated. It was the day I dreaded. It was the day I had more emotions flood my body than any other day in my life…**

**And I wasn't even walking down the aisle.**

**I'd already picked out the bridesmaids' dresses so really, there wasn't much that could be done about it. **

**But that didn't mean my sister didn't have what to say.

* * *

**

Jamie took a glance over at Jessica, who was busy sitting on her hands to avoid punching her sister in the face.

"You cannot kill your sister, Jessica," the brunette whispered out of ear shot of her friend's sister. "John would not appreciate it if you got yourself incarcerated before your wedding day."

The bride-to-be thought this over for a moment. "But he'd appreciate not having to deal with his aggravating sister-in-law anymore."

Samantha leaned in to add to the conversation, "Yeah, can't say that I'd blame you. Or him. Or anyone for that matter."

Her hazel eyes focused ahead to her mother, standing beside Stephanie. Suddenly, Linda turned around.

"Don't even THINK about it," she mouthed and then whirled back around.

Samantha and Jamie found their jaws touching the floor.

"I've heard of eyes in the back of your head…" Jamie trailed off.

Samantha finished for her, "But this is ridiculous."

* * *

**My relationship with my sister was always rocky at best, but deep down, I know she loves me. And I love her too.**

**But God forbid she's not the center of attention, all bets are off.**

**So as I sat there, trying to prevent myself from becoming the next CNN headline, I prayed for a miracle.**

**And my prayers were answered.

* * *

**

The frosted glass doors behind them opened with a whooshing sound.

"So sorry we're late!" a feminine voice announced. "Traffic was a bitch!"

A smile quickly spread across Jessica's face as she hopped to her feet and rushed towards the door. "Trish! Amy!"

She reached the Canadian blonde first and threw her arms around her in both excitement and relief.

Trish embraced her tightly. "Girl, I missed you! I cannot wait to try on my dress!"

"I missed you too," the younger Diva replied brightly and released Trish.

"Jessica!" Amy grinned with a wide smile and hugged her. "Has it really been four months?"

Her friend removed her arms from her body and took a step back. "Unfortunately, it has. But I'm so glad you're here!"

"You know we wouldn't miss this for the world, Jess," the redhead smiled at her. "Now show us those dresses!"

"Expect to be disappointed," Stephanie groaned in disgust as the women caught side of her for the first time since they'd arrived.

The lone woman in the room sporting her dress, to say it was ill-fitting would be an understatement.

While the slight rouching of the dress was meant to be slimming, the fabric was clinging to her tightly instead, creating an appearance of rolls.

And the fact that the dress was stretched until it was taut from behind didn't make her look any better.

Jessica ground her teeth together and spoke softly, trying not to move her lips, "Don't. Say. Anything."

"I'm sure it can be fixed," Trish stated nonchalantly. "No big deal."

The older of the sister flipped her hair behind her and rolled her eyes. "It would have been nice if he'd gotten it right in the first place."

"Steph, I'm sure it was an honest mistake," Linda assured her daughter as she placed a hand on your shoulder. "Let Bill and his assistant take a look at it and fix the measurements."

"Fine!" the woman replied with a huff and walked away into his design studio, Bill Levkoff and his young assistant on her heels.

Yet, Bill lingered long enough for Jessica to catch his eye and mouth, "Sorry."

He nodded in understanding and disappeared beyond the door.

* * *

**I didn't really care that much about my sister's temper tantrum at Bill Levkoff's design studio. I mean, all she did was make a fool of herself, not me, and he got along with my mother, Samantha, Jamie, Trish, and Amy just fine. Was it anyone's fault but her own that she'd gained 10 pounds since the measurements had been taken?**

**Instead, I was focused on what was coming after my sister's little bitch fit was over.**

**I was going to shop for the last item of clothing I would ever wear as an unmarried woman…**

**My wedding dress.**

**

* * *

**

The black limousine pulled up to a building on Madison Avenue and Preston exited the limo first, as he was closest to the door.

"Are you ready?" he asked Jessica, helping her out of the extravagant car that her mother and father had insisted her bridal party use as travel for the day.

She nodded, failing to suppress the bright smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "I just hope I find something that I like."

"In the world of wedding dresses, Maggie Sottero is a Goddess, Jessica," Preston explained with a slight laugh. "And she was dying to work with you. As soon as she found out that I was planning your wedding, I had a voicemail on my cell phone and an email in my inbox. Maggie doesn't just do _anybody_'s wedding. She does the _best_ weddings… and if she really wants something, she does whatever she can to get it."

"_She_ was dying to work with _me_?" Jessica's jaw dropped.

With a satisfied smirk, the cocoa-skinned man nodded. "Now are you ready?"

"Preston, move out of my way. My wedding dress is in that building."

* * *

Jessica's mouth dropped the moment she entered the room. "That's it."

Maggie pulled off her glasses and stood up from her desk with a smile.

Stephanie immediately protested, "You haven't even seen the others."

The designer smiled and approached them slowly. "Once a bride has seen it, she's seen it. It's instinct."

The blonde Diva tentatively took a step towards the dress at her right and then looked up at Maggie. "May I?"

Maggie pushed her thin-framed glasses higher up on her nose and nodded. "Absolutely, it was made for you."

She took another step forward and then stopped. "Made for me?"

Maggie smiled wryly at her. "I designed a line of dresses, based on what I'd imagine for famous women who got engaged in the last year or so. I created the Eva, the Keira, the Katherine, the Nicole, and this dress. I finished this one only three weeks ago. This… is the Jessica."

Jessica's mouth dropped open and her face flushed. "I-I don't know what to say."

"Say that you'll wear it on your wedding day," Maggie urged her.

The twenty-seven year old glanced down the line of her bridal party, to Preston, and to her mother.

Then she smiled and nodded.

* * *

**My bachelorette party was everything that I could have hoped for, despite the fact that all of the bridesmaids, save my sister, sprung for male strippers and I received presents I'd rather not discuss.**

**Bachelorette parties were typically thrown the week before the wedding or in relatively close proximity to the big day, but because of my schedule, March 15****th**** was the only day available… the day following our little New York City adventure.**

**Truth be told, I was just happy to spend time with my friends. It was very rare to get all of us in a room at the same time. Trish, Amy, and I had not been together in over seven months and I hadn't seen Samantha in four.**

**Still, as the faux cop and fireman left the hotel suit, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on during John's party…**

**

* * *

**

"Put the Polaroid away," John instructed and lowered his voice to a command. "NOW."

"Testy, testy" Randy tossed the instant camera back onto the ottoman and looked over at his friend, seated on the couch. "Afraid your girl's gonna cut you off?"

The older of the pair looked up at the scantily clad woman giving him a lap dance. "More like a specific part of my body that I'm rather fond of."

Steve laughed hysterically. "You're so whipped, man."

Matt quickly jumped to the defense of his older brother. "Steve, you had to beg your wife to leave the kids with her parents for the weekend… and John's the whipped one?"

"And Jessica could be John's sugar mama," Sean added. "She's only heir to a billion dollar company, aside from her own personal fortune."

Dan's jaw dropped to the ground. "Did you just use the term 'sugar mama?'"

"Uh… maybe."

John's best friend from Springfield College, Matt Sullivan, burst out laughing. "If I didn't have this fine-ass woman in front of me," he gestured to the blonde cowgirl, "I'd fall on the floor."

And just as John started to laugh, the stripper directly hovering over him, a flash went off.

"Orton, I'm going to fucking kill you."

* * *

"I'd just like to repeat again, Randal Keith Orton, that as soon as I return from my honeymoon, I am going to murder your ass."

"First of all, I would be very interested to see how you could murder my ass without killing the rest of me," he ticked off nonchalantly, causing John to turn a shade of reddish purple. "Secondly, it is not my fault that you are spending the rest of your bachelor party in a hospital."

"What were the first two things she said?" he challenged in response.

"Uhh… Prepare to be amazed..." Randy looked up at John from his tan industrial chair in the waiting room.

John nodded and coaxed him on, "Correct. And what was the second…"

"While she is on the hippity hop, don't make any sudden move-" the green-eyed wrestler stopped. "Oh."

"I do believe that jumping to your feet to applaud counts as a 'sudden movement,'" John replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

Randy shrugged. "I stand corrected."

Dan Cena turned to look at the man who was the same age as he. "Uh, shouldn't you get up then, man?"

"Uh… no sudden movements, Daniel!" Randy pointed out as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Duh. Remember what happened LAST time?"

"Yeah…" Matt clapped a hand on his bulky shoulder. "I don't think that applies anymore."

* * *

**The next three months went very smoothly. Preston and I finished up everything left that had to do with my end of the wedding, everything typically required of a bride, including the bouquet, flower arrangements, etc. **

**I must admit, though, there was very little left outside of the bride-only category of decisions that John didn't have something to do with. In fact, he pretty much figured out the design for the cake all by himself and relayed it to the fabulous Sylvia Weinstock using such proper terminology, even her mouth dropped open.**

**Then again, my fiancé's last name means dinner in at least two languages. What exactly did I expect?**

*****

"I know it's really sudden," Jessica replied to the person on the other end of her phone call, picking up her pocketbook from the conveyor belt. "But it's just something I really need to do, John."

"Baby," John started and then dropped the volume of his voice as he walked through the sliding glass doors from the currently-small gathering of family and friends in the pool area of the posh Long Island hotel they'd rented out for the next two days, before all of the guests headed to their accommodations at Oheka Castle, clutching the phone tighter to his ear. "We're getting married in two days. Don't you think you're cutting it a little close?"

Jessica sighed and put her boarding pass back into her bag. "Yes, but… I wouldn't feel right if I didn't go, John. It's not that long of a flight and I won't even stay overnight. I won't even stop at home."

"There aren't a lot of people here yet and it's only ten. They're just getting started on breakfast," he informed her, turning around to scan his turquoise eyes across the patio. "And you know most of our friends don't start their off-days until well after lunch."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Well, thank God for that."

"Yeah…" John trailed off in reply with a half-hearted laugh.

"John," the blonde addressed her fiancée as her heels clicked across the tiled floor of LaGuardia Airport. Since her decision to leave Long Island had been rather hasty, Jessica hadn't been able to change out of the outfit meant specifically for the party and that meant a pair of stilettos until she managed to find a more comfortable pair of shoes in the terminal. "I'm coming back, you know that, right?"

He nodded for his own benefit. "I know..."

Despite his reply, she could still sense his uneasiness. "John Cena, you listen to me. There are a thousand things in my life that I've second-guessed and I'm sure there will be a thousand more in the future… but I want that future to be with you. No second-guessing, no uncertainty. In fact, I've never been more certain about anything in my entire life," she stated firmly, but without an edge in her voice. "My flight is a little over an hour. I'm not even going to stop at the house. I'll be back in time for dinner, I swear."

The six foot, one inch Massachusetts native rested his forearm on the sliding door and pressed his forehead below it against the cool glass. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

**A full week went by and I could barely sleep at night. I chalked it up to pre-wedding stress and worries about whether or not everything would go as planned.**

**John and I had arrived at the Glen Cove Mansion on the Friday afternoon before our wedding on the twenty-second, which fell on a Tuesday. All of Saturday would be spent poolside and by the patio with our families and closest friends. Aside from our immediate family, this included cousins, aunts, uncles, as well as all of our coworkers who were wrestlers, in order to avoid any sort of drama, and the wedding party. **

**And it wasn't until Saturday morning, when I woke up with a start, that I realized what was keeping me awake at night.**

**As a result, I had to skip out on breakfast and lunch. I didn't think that anyone would notice that I was gone, as there would be so many people and only one bride. Surely, they'd think that I was somewhere else in the party and John could play into it.**

**As I'd later find out, John had only informed his brothers, Matt Sullivan, my bridesmaids, Shane, Marissa, and our parents. They'd managed to fool the rest of our seventy guests into thinking I was in random places that they weren't.**

**And by the time John had convinced my recently-arrived Uncle Rod that I was upstairs, obsessing over what bathing suit I should wear to swim…**

**I was somewhere I told him I wouldn't go.**

**

* * *

**

After making a quick stop at the house she'd practically grown up in for a pair of sneakers, ratty clothes, a shovel, gloves, and a bucket, Jessica packed it all into her faithful Sunfire and drove off into the afternoon sun.

The one good thing about Massachusetts was the fact that while it might be eighty in New York, it was in the high sixties near Boston. And if there was ever a day that she'd need it to be cooler out, this was it.

As the car crunched up the gravel road, she found what she was looking for.

Even though she overwhelmingly felt as though she wished it didn't exist at all.

* * *

"All done," the blonde young woman proclaimed, patting down the rest of the dirt beside the hard tablet and rising back to her feet. "That's certainly not all of them, but I figured these belonged with you more than they belonged with me."

The light breeze satisfied her need for an answer enough to allow her to continue.

"Don't worry, I still have plenty at home," she replied with a hint of a smile. "Lilies are my favorite too."

Jessica knelt back down and placed her hand on the stone.

"I've got some great news, Grandma," she smiled at the inscription on the headstone. "John and I are getting married on Tuesday. Although, I'm sure you already knew that."

The wind blew lightly again and Jessica laughed.

"You always did know everything." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry you weren't around for this. You knew all along we were meant for each other, but we were both too stubborn to do anything about it."

She reached back behind her and pulled an envelope out of her purse, placing it on the headstone in front of her. "This is for you. It's the invitation we sent out to everyone. I know that you can't be there in person, but…" she bit down on her lip and stopped speaking to compose herself.

"I just want you to know that I love you and I miss you, Grandma," Jessica glanced upwards, her eyes brimming with tears. "Whether I'm in Tampa or any other place around the world, my heart will always be in West Newbury… because you are my heart, Grandma. And I hope that someday, I'll be half the woman that you were."

* * *

Six hours later, back in her original outfit and with touched up hair and makeup, Jessica McMahon nonchalantly strolled onto the pool deck of the Glen Cove Mansion.

Almost instantly, she felt an arm slip around her waist and she smiled, resting her hand on the man's much larger one on her right hip. "Everything taken care of?"

The blonde nodded as they walked forward and all of those who had been in on the secret took notice and instantly relaxed.

"Yes," his fiancée answered as she waved at his mother. "And I think that I will be able to sleep at night again."

"No more pre-wedding paranoia?" John laughed heartily, still gliding with his future wife across the wooden panels.

Jessica reached up a French manicured hand and twirled the 'Princess Diana' lily behind her ear. "You know, I have a feeling that everything's going to be okay."

**A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner, but my life has been incredibly hectic over the last two months. I started finals in the beginning of May and started an absolutely fantastic internship at Atlantic Records in New York City. The good thing at Atlantic is that in the last three days, I've been in elevators with Rob Thomas and Jason Mraz. Unfortunately, the internship requires me to be out of the house at 7:30 in the morning and I return around 8:30 at night, so as you can imagine, my stories are rarely something I want to pay attention to once I come home. My day off is usually spent by sleeping in and watch TV shows I missed, while my nights are spent watching my beloved Mets.**

**To be honest, I re-wrote this chapter twice and if it wasn't for How I Met Your Mother, this chapter wouldn't have gotten posted for at least another month. So, thank you, HIMYM!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. You can check out the actual place they stayed at, called the Glen Cove Mansion. I've been there. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven.**

**There's a little piece of this chapter that will be relevant at the end of She's a Rebel IV, but it's nothing game changing. It's just something you'll read and smile at.**

**The next chapter might be a little while, as it IS the wedding chapter and I want to do it right. However, I wrote their wedding vows over two years ago… so that part is WELL taken care of.**

**Jessica wanted to invite you all to the wedding of course, so please check out my profile page for your official invite to the wedding in her portion of my profile. It can also be found on my twitter!**

**Without further adieu, here goes business per usual… SHOUT OUTS!**

**Hotpocketbandit – **Thank you, I hope you enjoy this one too!

**Sideways anger – **Thank you for the birthday wishes, first and foremost. I still, two months later, have to stop when someone asks me how old I am to make sure I say nineteen. I'm glad to know that the way I've personified John has made you like him more, as I've really drawn from how I've found him to be in real life. Sorry I took so long to update.

**WinchesterAngel3389 – **Thanks for the birthday wishes, Marina! I'm totally stoked about the wedding and have been thinking about it for months. I've slowly been compiling everything, so we're just about there!

**Jun6293 – **It's okay, I certainly understand the lack of time! I've been everywhere, following the team in the last two months. I went to DC, Boston, Baltimore, and Philly (bleh) and might get to Chicago and Florida by the end of the season. I hope you get to meet David and even Jose (fingers crossed he returns soon), who has a sense of humor that is just amazing. For Jose, you really should brush up on your Spanish. Once he knows you speak the language, he can talk your ear off! And David is the sweetest guy ever. He knows who I am at this point, because of my website, and often jokes that when I go on road trips like these, I should just follow the bus down since I go to their batting practice sessions anyway. Carlos Beltran FINALLY signed my ball, after I complained to Ryan Church , another sweetheart who always takes pics and signs baseballs, that I just need Delgado and Beltran to sign the ball to have the team. Ryan went over and dragged Carlos to the left field corner for me. Carlos apologized for taking so long. SWEETHEART! Which game did you wind up going to? If you ever need BP advice, I'm your girl!

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **I'm SO glad you like the story! Lucky 21-year old! How did you enjoy Wrestlemania?

**Goddessofthenite – **Ooh, but there are some things you don't know. IE: Their wedding vows. That's ONE thing no one knows but me!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **Yes, poor John and his adorable mouth. Haha! Crazy coincidence about me and your brother!

**Queen Chaos-Hardy – **So, when I went to write your response, I went to write "Charizard." Wow. And! You never showed me the bridesmaid dresses. Should I be afraid of looking like a cow?

**Vjsimpact – **Oh, Stephanie's such a nutter. I love red… crimson especially. Thanks and THANKS!

**Pr0udpnaii x33 – **Despite this being your first time reviewing, I am still appreciative of your support! Thanks for the birthday wishes and hopefully, you can review again sometime!

**AlexiaCalaway – **Yes, a castle. LOVE IT.

**RatedRCouture – **Thank you… I thought it was poignant. And now that everyone knows, it's official!

**ThatGirl54 – **Aww, thank you! I could never let all of you McCena fans (including myself!) down!

**Nic-002001 – **You know, I'm not sad that John is getting married as much as I am disappointed. I mean, I was had delusions of us getting married, but I always thought he'd pick someone in the business or within the company, who understands the nature of sports entertainment. I feel like she ditched him when things got too rough and then came back when it got good again. I'm also of the opinion that if a boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't get along with your parents, there isn't much of a future for the two of you ahead. I know this from personal experience. Let's put it this way… I'm the mama's choice. And that's worked out well for me thus far. That being said, thank you so much for the praise and for following me on Twitter!

**CraftyTink529 – **I'm so glad you liked the update and I hope this one was worth the wait! You'll have to wait until I do. In the meantime, check out the Glen Cove Mansion. Also droolworthy,

**Cena-holic8 – **Thank you! I have yet to see 12 Rounds, but will get it on DVD when it comes out. It just came out at an awful time for me. I can't wait to see it!

**Chain Gang Princess – **I had a fantastic day and was totally a center of attention, especially at batting practice! A pink birthday crown got me lots of attention indeed! And I too love the image of John, asleep in a limo.

**Westfan – **Girl, I AM a chicken with her head caught off. I'm sorry about Davey's latest injury, but of course, I will come to see him on a weekend/day off. It was great to see you in Boston during the Mets series and I cannot believe how much the little girl has grown up! And you're right, they totally deserve a perfect wedding. And Dave will, of course, show up on his own. Do not worry. Plus, he only kissed her in the name of love and to help his two friends! MISS YOU!

**iNdy MiLk – **Thank you for the birthday wishes. I had a GREAT time! John is a horrific snorer. I'm telling you, I know these things. Hope I didn't make you wait too long.

**Rossi's Lil Devil – **Thank you! Hope this wasn't too long of a wait!

**So there you have it, Rebels. Chapter 22… be on the lookout for Chapter 23 coming as soon as possible!**

**And in case you haven't already, come and follow me on Twitter. Just a few of the things you are missing: sneak previews of upcoming chapters (including this one) and, most importantly…**

**THE TITLE OF SHE'S A REBEL IV!**

**So what ARE you waiting for? Check me out on Twitter, user name Jewelgirl04 or go to my profile here on the site and click the link!**

**Rock on, Rebels!**

**Danielle**


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: I'm sure some of you came to this update, expecting me to give you some excuse as to why I'm putting this story on permanent hiatus.**_

_**Well, if you thought that… you were wrong.**_

_**A lot has changed in my life since I last update this story. I'm entering my junior year at Rutgers, now twenty years old. I finally own my own car, a 2010 Mustang in black that would certainly make John Cena proud, and live in an apartment, for the most part, with three fantastic roommates, one of whom has been a great friend since the first day of freshman year. Still, I've managed to stay friends with the same trio of girls, roomie included, since that fateful move-in day in August of 2008.**_

_**I've had the pleasure of traveling places I've always dreamed of visiting and planned vacations to a few more.**_

_**And while Atlantic Records was a great internship, I'm working for a company that I've oddly grown up in total adoration of and which adulthood has made me love in an entirely different way: the New York Mets. Yeah… I get to go to games and hang around gorgeous, rich baseball players as part of my job. It's okay to be jealous.**_

_**Anyway, I hope all is going well in your lives and that a little piece of you hasn't forgotten these characters while they've been away. I promise that neither I, nor Jessica, have forgotten about all of you.**_

_**So without further adieu, here is the final chapter of She's a Rebel III: Cupid's Chokehold.

* * *

**_

Mere moments ago, the room had been buzzing. Bridesmaids had been flitting about, fumbling through their garment bags, with the makeup artists and hair stylists buzzing around them as they attempted to put themselves together by the early afternoon deadline. Mere moments ago, the room had looked like a total disaster.

But now, there was a calm about the room. All of the luggage had been stacked neatly in a corner, hangers once belonging to dresses dangling from a rolling clothes rack on the far side of the wall. All of the women and two male hairdressers, who had been in the bride's quarters of the reception hall, were gone.

Except for the bride, of course.

Her hazel eyes glanced at the antique-looking wooden clock on the wall. Only fifteen minutes left before she had to walk down the aisle that while only a mere five hundred feet long, would probably seem like it were a mile.

Quickly, her eyes found their way to the mirror ahead of her as studied her reflection. These were her last minutes as an unmarried woman, her last moments as Jessica McMahon. And that very thought caused her stomach to churn.

It had been decided long ago, when she and John had been newly engaged last summer, that she would legally forgo her maiden name and break the tradition established by her sister-in-law, Marissa Mazzola-McMahon, and sister, Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. While she respected the decision, she had always known that it would not be her own, especially after the August engagement.

Jessica had made it clear to her parents that she wasn't ashamed of her last name and the reputation that came with it. In fact, she was proud to bear the legacy of her grandparents, Vince and Diana. Yet it was time to carve a new path in her life, one that would be traveled with her new husband. It was only fair that they not just share a life, but also a name; one they'd also share with their children, whenever that time came.

So for the purposes of sports entertainment, her ring name would be Jessica McMahon-Cena. However, in her heart, in her soul, and in the eyes of the law, she would forever be known as Jessica Cena from that day forward.

Unconsciously, her French-manicured fingers reached up and ran over the delicate white gold chain around her neck, stopping at the teardrop-shaped diamond, surrounded by twenty smaller ones. It was her something borrowed, left to Linda for the specific purpose of being given to Jessica on her wedding day in the event Diana wasn't alive to see it.

As the thought of her grandmother crossed her mind, Jessica's hazel eyes began to water and she fought to stop them from running down her face and ruining her makeup.

Upon composing herself, the twenty-eight year old stared into the mirror. Her caramel blonde hair had been twisted into loose curls and hung just mid-bicep, the tulle of her veil draped over them two inches below. The makeup artist who had become her favorite to work with before shows, Charlie, had swept her lids with a deep lavender, dusting a violet color in the crease, lining them with black and coating her lashes in black mascara. She had insisted on using a pink lip color that had looked like Barbie's go-to shade in the bottle, and while Jessica had initially refused, the two years-older woman given the name of Charlotte at birth had assured her in the poshest of British accents that it would not look like she had plastered her lips with bubblegum. Sure enough, the color had gone on sheer and the bride-to-be had made a mental note to pick up a tube before her honeymoon.

The blonde found herself tracing the intricate lace patterns of her strapless bodice with her fingernail, seemingly finding no end, until a knock on the door caught her attention.

"Jessica," a deep voice followed the knock, piercing through the silence. "It's Dad. Can I come in?"

She released the deep breath she had no idea she'd been holding in. "Sure."

The oak door opened and Vince McMahon walked into the room, dressed in his best tuxedo that had most likely cost him in the tens of thousands of dollars, and stopped dead in his tracks, closing the door behind him. His breath nearly caught in his throat as his eyes fell on his youngest child, sitting in front of the vanity. "You look beautiful, Jess."

Her eyes flickered gold as she turned to face him. "Really?"

He nodded and smiled at her brightly. "John's not going to be able to breathe when he sees you. Orton might have to give him CPR."

A laugh escaped her lips. "Somehow, I think he'll find a way to breathe if he sees Randy leaning in for the kill."

"We should only be so lucky," Vince added with a chuckle of his own.

"Come to give me away?" she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.

He shook his head. "Not quite yet," he replied and began to cross the room towards her. "We have a few minutes and I wanted to talk to you. You know, father to daughter."

Silently, Jessica hoped it had nothing to do with the honeymoon. "Everything alright?"

Vince nodded his head in the affirmative, pulling up a chair to sit in front of her. "You know, I never forgave myself for leaving you with your grandmother."

"Dad…" she cut in, trying to steer him away from the subject.

"Let me finish." He held a strong hand up to halt her. "I knew that you were happy there, more so as the years passed, but I always thought, in the back of my mind, that I had passed off my responsibilities as a parent… _as a father_… on someone else when things got rough," he added, taking a moment to figure out what he was going to say next. "But I thought about you every hour of every day. I wondered if I was doing the right thing, if letting Grandma raise you was the best decision. I worried about you when you were eighteen years old just as much as I worried about you when you were five years old and I took you to the beach." He stopped again in an effort to compose himself. "I want you to know that despite the fact that while after today, someone else will be the most important man in your life, I'm never going be there for you any less than I am today. I will _always_ be there to help you in any way that I can, protect you however I can. You'll always be my little girl, Jessie," Vince told her with a smile as he reached up to touch her cheek. "And nothing will ever change that."

Jessica lightly bit down on her quivering lip, struggling to keep the tears at bay. Her hand reached up and covered her own, pulling it down so that it was clasped between both of her hands. "I know, Daddy. I know."

"Come here." Vince rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly. "I love you, Jessica. Your grandparents would be so proud of you today."

"I love you too, Daddy." She smiled into his shoulder, gripping him tightly.

Vince's arms slackened and he took a step away from his daughter. "I think it's time. You ready?"

Jessica reached onto the counter in front of the mirror and scooped up her bouquet into her hands. "Absolutely."

* * *

John stood at the open French doors of Oheka Castle, peering out onto the rear lawn and gardens, where the guests were seated, and felt his stomach doing summersaults beneath his skin. No Raw broadcast, pay-per-view, or Wrestlemania could remotely compare to this, nor could the slight nerves he had possessed for any of them.

He wasn't afraid of marriage or the responsibilities that came with it and he certainly was not uncertain of the woman he had chosen to spend the rest of his life with. If anything, John knew how absolutely lucky he was. It was because of how lucky he was that he was nervous; nervous that he would not be the husband that Jessica deserved.

Randy came up behind him, clapping a hand onto the shoulder of his black tuxedo. "You alright there, man?"

The groom nodded, exhaling deeply as he adjusted his red rose boutonnière. "I'm fine. Just anxious."

"You're going to be fine," the younger man assured him with an honest smile as the pastor passed by the two on his way to the altar. "I think you're up. I'm going to get in line with Sam. Go get her, John."

John smiled back at him in return and as the music started, stepped forward into the sunshine. Immediately, he found his feet walking across a plush white carpet, stretched across the grass and past the guests looking in his direction, stopped at the alter that stood right in front of the reflective pool of water.

When he arrived at the last row of white folding chairs, he noticed burgundy and white tulle was draped along the back of the last row of seats and at the end of each row of chairs, red rose petals scattered along the edges of the aisle. It was something that had been discussed during the planning stages of the wedding, but it wasn't until he saw it in person that he realized just how striking the decorations were.

John reached the first row of chairs and smiled over at his parents in the two end seats. His father smiled back at him reassuringly as his mother began to wipe tears from her eyes beside him in her dark red dress to match the décor of the wedding.

The pastor shook John's hand and he took his place beside the man of God, waiting for the rest of the procession to begin.

Before any members of the wedding party made their way down the carpet, John's nieces, Samantha and Amanda, stepped forward in matching crimson dresses with slightly puffed sleeves and began to toss more petals onto the path. When they came to the end, they kissed their uncle on the cheek and hopped onto the seats beside their grandparents and their two brothers, each holding a ring box in their hands.

First down the aisle was Randy and his fiancée, Samantha, on his arm, clutching her bouquet of white roses that matched his boutonnière. Upon reaching the altar, they separated; Sam to the end of the bridesmaids line and Randy to the end of the groomsmen line.

Jamie and Steve were next down the line, followed by Marissa and Dan, Amy and Matt Cena, and Trish and Sean, all eight individuals taking spots on either side of the center in order.

Last down the aisle was John's best man and childhood friend, Matt Sullivan, and Jessica's maid of honor and older sister, Stephanie.

"I see they fixed her dress," Trish noted to the rest of the bridesmaids out of the corner of her mouth.

Like the rest of the women, Amy couldn't help but attempt to stifle her laughter. "Oh, you're awful."

Finally, Stephanie took her place near the pastor at the end of her aisle and quickly waved to her husband and daughter, seated beside her mother.

John took another deep breath as the music started and his best man patted him on the back. "You're gonna be fine."

He nodded as the crowd rose from their white folding chairs to their feet in response to the wedding march and turned towards the glass doors.

Two of tuxedo-clad staff members of Oheka simultaneously pulled open the French doors that had been closed behind the wedding party. Moments later, Vince stepped through the doorway and into the sunshine, his youngest daughter's arm looped through his own.

At first, she seemed so distant to John, a figure that he could barely make out, as the distance between the building and the last row of chairs was relatively far. But as Jessica's high-heeled shoe passed the first chair, his breath caught in his throat.

She was merely fifty feet away from him now, more magnificent than any bride he'd ever seen in any magazine or movie. The dress fit her beautifully, the intricately embellished lace on the corseted bodice, as well as the romantic satin band highlighting her waist and accentuating her figure. But the show stopping aspect of the gown was the full A-line skirt, consisting of starburst pickups and a ten-foot long train.

From where he was standing at that moment, John couldn't see her face, hidden by the veil. Yet, he knew beneath the white tulle attached to the diamond headband was the face of the most beautiful woman on Earth.

* * *

When her white heel first connected with the white carpet, Jessica clutched onto her father's arm for dear life. She was nervous, she was excited… she felt a thousand different emotions she had never experienced before. There were over two hundred people standing in front of her, watching every single step intently. It was incredibly nerve-racking.

To distract her from the potential of falling, she tried to find everyone on each side of the aisle, curious as to which section they identified with. It wasn't shocking that the Hardys, all of the Divas, and most of the WWE Legends were sitting on the bride's side of the aisle. However, she was a little surprised by the presence of Shelton Benjamin, Ken Anderson, Adam Copeland, and John Hennigan on the groom's side of the aisle.

But before she could ponder that point of interest much at all, Jessica realized that she was close enough to the alter that to make out every detail of his face.

And as her hazel eyes connected with his blue ones, her grip on her father loosened altogether.

Even deterred by a layer of tulle, there was nothing that could break their gaze. Distracted, the distance between them closed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. It was only when Jessica and her father came to a stop that she realized John's eyes had glazed over.

She turned towards her father and smiled up at him. Reluctantly taking her hint, Vince reached up and lifted the veil off of her face and over her head. "I love you, Jessie."

"I love you too, Dad." Her eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

By the time they opened, Vince had turned to the younger man. "You take good care of her, you hear me?"

John nodded. "Yes, sir."

The older man reached out and shook his hand firmly, a hint of an approving smile on his lips. Letting go of John, he took his daughter's hand and placed it in his much larger one, pressing them together. "Welcome to the family, son."

Jessica turned slightly and handed her sister the red rose bouquet to balance with her smaller white one. By the time she faced John again, Vince was already sitting beside her mother. "Hi," she whispered, her lips spreading into a smile.

"Hey," he returned quietly. "You look so beautiful, Jess."

Her eyes lit up. "You clean up well yourself."

A small chuckle escaped his lips. "You ready?"

"I've never been more certain of anything in my entire life," the blonde replied with a grin and tightened her grasp around his hand.

"Me neither," he assured her and turned towards the pastor. "Let's get married."

She nodded, now beaming, and they walked up two stairs to the altar.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated," Pastor Kevin Leach greeted the guests, who settled into their chairs at his request. "We are here as the family and friends of Jessica and John to celebrate their marriage," he began, glancing at the bride and groom. "This is a serious occasion. Marriage is not to be entered into lightly, but only after serious thought. It requires sincerity, honesty and mutual respect. But although this is a solemn occasion, it is also an occasion of joy, because marriage is an expression of love, optimism, and life.

"A marriage is not the beginning of a relationship. John and Jessica have been important in each other's lives for some time. But this service does mark an important point for them, and for their hope and ours that their relationship will go on in growth over the coming years—that it will endure and become even stronger over time.

"I remember the day I first met our bride and groom," Pastor Leach turned to the young man first. "John was a handful from the very first day his mother carried him into my church…"

John grimaced, hearing the laughter of the friends and family gathered in attendance. I wasn't made much better by the fact that the only other person besides Jess that he could see was Matt Sullivan, who was doing everything he could not to double over.

"And Jessica exuded poise and grace from the very moment she spoke her first words to me," he added, his eyes landing on her. "Upon coming to me to officiate this ceremony, John began to tell me of what he thought the moment he realized that he had fallen for his best friend. He had a sparkle in his eye that only a man experiences when he is truly and deeply in love. Each time I look between Jessica and John…" the pastor glanced at the couple and then looked out onto the lawn. "I see that spark."

The pair's eyes wandered towards each other, looking out of their corners. Even in limited sight, they knew the sparkle that remained regardless.

"Marriage is not an end to problems," Pastor Kevin continued, his voice slightly louder. "No relationship is without troubles. But it is a commitment to face problems, to attempt to solve problem, and to rise above them. It is a commitment to try to do no wrongs to each other, but also a commitment to try to forgive the wrongs that are done.

"Jessica and John believe that marriage is a partnership in which companionship, help, support, encouragement, love and comfort should be given and received. They believe that marriage is the voluntary union of a man and a woman who trust one another, who love one another, and who want to share their joys and their sorrows and their plans, their home and their future," he noted additionally. "They believe that marriage is a partnership, but it is not a dissolving of individualities. Marriage recognises an interdependence of man and wife, but also their independence, their right to their separate friends and opinions and ambitions. And they believe that marriage is the voluntary, full and exclusive commitment of a man to a woman and a woman to a man, entered into with the hope and the firm intention that it will last for life."

Whether aware of it or not, the pastor noticed both the bride and groom were lightly nodding along to everything he was saying. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch, but pushed it aside to continue on with the ceremony.

"Today, John has decided to write his own vows."

The twenty-nine year old released his bride's hand, reaching inside of his black tuxedo jacket to pull out a folded up sheet of paper. "Twenty-two years ago, I met an angel," he began. "She was young, beautiful, and brilliant. And she brought joy to my life. This angel's name was Jessica Juliette McMahon," John added, glancing up from the paper to smile at her. "On this day, I stand before everyone here to pledge my love and devotion to you, Jessica. From the very beginning you were my best friend, the one person who I could always turn to. As we grew older, we travelled through life together, through the greatest of life's joys and sorrows, side by side. Although time separated us for a brief while…" he trailed off, giving himself a moment to keep his composure. "It only made me see just how much I need you in my life. You stood by my side as I faced all of my adolescent trials of life and today, I no longer ask you to simply stand beside me." John lifted his head up once more, this time refolding the piece of paper and shoving it back into the confines of his jacket. "Today, I ask you to join me in my journey through life, as my best friend, my companion, and most importantly… as my wife."

Tears began to pool in the blonde's eyes, her bottom lip trembling through her smile as she struggled to keep the tears from falling.

The pastor continued, "Jessica has also decided to write her own vows."

She nodded, turning back towards the bridal party. Moments later, Amy had passed her a piece of cream-colored paper of her own to use as backup in the case her memory failed her. "My darling, John…" she began, gazing at him lovingly. "I never imagined that I could love someone this much," Jessica paused to shake her head, still staring up at him. "When my career in the ring started, we had been apart for a short while. I remember looking out into the crowd, hoping to see your face each day, and I wondered what it would be like to one day look out and see you there, to know that you had come to see me. Today, I still don't know for sure what it feels like," she admitted without the slightest hint of regret. "But I am certain that feeling could not even compare to what it's like standing in front of the crowd, knowing that you are by my side instead of out there. On this day, I swear, before our family and friends, that I plan to remain at your side, whether it's in front a crowd, our family, our friends, our children, or just the mirror." A few stray tears gliding down her cheeks, Jessica beamed up at him proudly. "On this day, John, I promise to love you and support you as your partner in crime forever."

John couldn't help but chuckle at the last part. It was just like her to make him laugh at the most unlikely of moments.

Leach picked up where Jessica had left off. "You have all gathered here as the friends and family of Jessica and John to witness this exchange of vows. John, take Jessica's hand and say after me…" he instructed the young man he had watched grow up in his church.

John listened intently as he found her hazel eyes, paying more attention to the pastor than he'd ever paid attention in any class in his life as if a failure to accurately repeat would mean an invalid marriage. "I, John Felix Anthony Cena… take you, Jessica McMahon… to be my lawfully wedded wife. I call upon our families and friends gathered here to witness that I love you. I promise to be your lover, companion, and friend… your ally in conflict… your student and your teacher. Your comrade in adventure, your consolation in disappointment… your accomplice in mischief and your strength in your need.

"I seek to share with you a relationship of love, humor, and tenderness… I will share my life and my thoughts and feelings with you. I will help you fulfill your needs… I will allow you to be yourself… and I will rejoice in your growth…" John trailed off just before his voice broke.

"I will stand by you through our future together… respecting you… supporting you… and enjoying you. Forever and for always." He exhaled quietly, secretly believing he had just taken revenge on every teacher who had doubted his ability to memorize anything.

Pastor Kevin nodded in approval and then moved onto the bride. "Jessica, please repeat after me…

She bobbed her head in agreement, admiring the azure hue of his eyes. "I, Jessica Juliette McMahon… take you, John Felix Anthony Cena… to be my lawfully wedded husband. I call upon our families and friends gathered here to witness that I love you. I promise to be your lover, companion, and friend… your ally in conflict… your student and your teacher. Your comrade in adventure, your consolation in disappointment… your accomplice in mischief and your strength in your need," she added, grinning cheekily at the second to last phrase.

"I seek to share with you a relationship of love, humor, and tenderness… I will share my life and my thoughts and feelings with you. I will help you fulfill your needs… I will allow you to be yourself… and I will rejoice in your growth…" Jessica repeated, her voice cracking as the tears began to flow steadily.

"I will stand by you through our future together… respecting you… supporting you… and enjoying you. Forever and for always."

Now it was she who received a nod of approval from Pastor Kevin. "A ring—a circle—is taken as a symbol of endlessness and so of your hope that your marriage will last forever." He looked over to where John's family sat and motioned for Anthony to come forward.

The little boy hopped off the bench and waddled over to his uncle, holding out a ring. Laughing at his nephew, John took the box from him and ruffled his short hair slightly. "Thanks, buddy."

"Welcome!" he exclaimed loudly and ran back to Jamie as everyone chuckled.

"John, say after me…"

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and as a sign of my vows," he repeated and careful slipped the platinum band wrapped in three-millimeter diamond squares onto her finger.

The pastor motioned again and this time, the slightly older Aaron walked towards Jessica and handed her John's ring. "Thank you, sweetheart." She smiled at him, bending down to kiss him on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Auntie Jess!" he whispered excitedly and scurried back to his seat.

"Jessica, say after me…"

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and as a sign of my vows," Jessica stated in similar fashion to John, slipping his platinum band with two satined stripes onto his finger.

The pastor gestured towards Stephanie and Matt. "If the witnesses could please step forward to sign the documents with the bride and groom."

The four walked over to the table to his slight left where the marriage license rested. Stephanie and Matt went first, followed by Jessica and John. With a smile, she returned to his side at the altar.

"That's the last time I'll ever sign my name as Jessica McMahon," she whispered to him.

"Thank God," he answered with a wink before Kevin Leach's voice called their attention once more.

"Please stand," he bellowed to the gathering. "Jessica and John, may your love deepen and grow through all the tests and joys that life has to offer you. I now pronounce you husband and wife. John," the pastor addressed him with a wry glint in his eye. "You may kiss the bride."

John moved to face his wife for the first time, beaming uncontrollably, and found that she too was sporting a face-splitting grin. Swiftly, he bent his head forward and pressed his lips against hers. At the contact, the guests broke out into applause and cheers, as well as a few cat calls from the WWE contingency as her arms found their way around his neck.

Forced to come up for air, they broke apart and found their smiles re-etched on their faces.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time, I present to you… Mr. and Mrs. John Cena!"

As everyone clapped again and the music started, John put his lips close to her ear. "That was better than any ring introduction I'll ever have."

After tapping her lightly on the shoulder, Stephanie handed Jessica back the bouquet. "Congratulations, Jess."

"Thanks, Steph. That means a lot."

"Hey, Mrs. Cena…" a voice called to her and she smiled for what seemed like the thousandth time thus far. She swiveled around and found John extending his arm for her. "I believe we have a walk to take."

Jessica slipped her slender arm around his own. "Yes we do, Mr. Cena. Yes, we do."

* * *

"Cena, I've got a bone to pick with you," Randy announced to the chagrin of his fiancée as John sat down at the rectangular table.

Just as he was about to open his mouth in protest, his wife wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his. "Which one?"

"Both of you! How in the hell are Sam and I going to top this?"

Jessica shrugged, moving into her seat beside John. "You're simply not. Get over it, Orton."

The younger wrestler grew defensive. "Now wait a second…"

"Randy," Sam interred, placing her hand on his arm. "Their relationship could be the plotline for the romance novel of the year, which would then be made into a high-grossing romantic comedy," she informed him whimsically and then her tone dropped to one as dry as a bone. "We met in a bar. Get over it."

"Oh… would you look at that!" John spoke quickly to cut through the tension. "They're playing our song, Mrs. Cena!"

"Hmm?" Jessica cocked her head to the left, focusing in as the extended opening of "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls began to grace her ears. "Why, I believe you're right, Mr. Cena."

"Shall we?" He rose to his feet, holding out his hand for her to take.

"We shall!" She exclaimed brightly, placing her hand in his as they headed for the dance floor. Once they were a few steps away from the table, she muttered, "What perfect timing, right?"

He couldn't help but laugh as their feet reached the wooden floor. "Pretty sure they've already got the whole old, married couple down."

"I have to say…" she began as he rested his hand on her hip and they began to sway. "I'm pretty sure we had that down when we were in elementary school."

"Ahh…" he nodded slowly with a wince. "I should have realized back then. Although, I think I only would have been able to afford one from a gumball machine."

She shook her blonde curls at him. "I wouldn't have cared if you wrapped a rubber band around my finger."

"Because you were loaded."

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"_You_ married _me_!" John retorted gleefully. "Who's the idiot now, Mrs. Cena?"

Jessica rolled her eyes at him. "Look at that… first time you'll ever be right in our marriage, Mr Cena." She stopped to shake her head. "I don't think we've called each other by our first names once all day. Do you think we'll ever use them again?"

Her husband smirked. "We'll have plenty of time tonight… and then again after the plane lands and we check into our hotel in London tomorrow."

"Oooh… you're smooth."

"I'm batting 1.000. What a great start to our life together, Mrs. Cena." He stated brightly, pulling her closer to him.

"Don't expect to be right _too_ many times, Mr. Cena."

"I certainly don't," he laughed, spinning her around the floor. "But hey… at least I know my left from my right."

And as they twirled around the dance floor, it was as though they were their seven and eight year old selves again, flying around the playground as they attempted not to stumble.

But if they had learned anything at all from their relationship over the course of their lives, it was that it was okay to stumble…

As long as they were there to help each other off the ground.

* * *

**By the time you read this, John and I will be approaching our one-year anniversary. So much has happened in a year that I don't think I can add it all in. Deep down, we both knew that we'd get here, but I think a piece of him wondered if I'd kill him first. **

**While sometimes, he drives me up a wall, I love John Cena with all of my heart. I don't care if he's shooting off fireworks in our backyard, timing his cars' quarter-mile down our street, trying to build a home aquarium, getting too drunk with his buddies and falling down the stairs, or rigging the front door to drop buckets of water down on Randy as a prank… because he's been that way for all of the years that I've known him and that's the man I fell in love with.**

**So no matter what life throws our way in the form of movie roles, personal problems, company problems, or tabloids, I can honestly say that I know we'll survive ALL of it because we're soulmates.**

**And there is not a single person out there who will ever be able to change that.

* * *

**

**A/N: **FINALLY, right? I can't believe that it's been a year since I last penned a chapter of SAR III. But something just clicked in my head tonight and gave me the inspiration to finish it off!

And you all thought I was just going to abandon Jessica McMahon!

Okay, well… maybe you didn't. But I know a lot of you were doubting me.

I have to thank every single one of you for reading this story and continuing to review it, even though it had been so long since I'd published something fresh. And I also must thank those of you who buckled up on the wild ride that is my foray into the Supernatural fandom.

If you check both my author's page, as well as my twitter account, you'll find a website that is the NEW home of Jessica McMahon's page. Her blog, photo albums, and all other news are over there. Plus, you can write to her… and guess what? I can guarantee that she'll write back! (wink wink).

So without further adieu, here are the long overdue shout-outs:

**Queen Chaos-Hardy – **I know that so much has changed in your life since this last review, but I echo your sentiments about missing the old days. Hopefully, I can continue to help nurture the talents of a new generation of writers. I love you, Charizard!

**Sideways anger – **I you thought my job was exciting last year, I work for the Mets this year… HOT BASEBALL PLAYERS AHOY! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the wedding chapter. I SLAVED over it for a year!

**AlexiaCalaway – **Whoever would have guessed I'd have posted before you? Haha. Hope all is well.

**Sambolina – **I hope the wait is worth it!

**ThatGirl54 – **Not only did I write the vows down two years ago, but I had to translate them into dialogue form. It was so daunting. Hope I didn't let you McCena fans down at all!

**Da-Real-Mrz-Cena102100 – **John was in the hospital because Randy didn't follow the rules and distracted the stripper, causing her to injure herself. That shouldn't surprise anyone! Hope this wasn't TOO long for ya!

**SoCalStarOC – **Oh no, I really dropped off the face of the planet this time. I hope this meets your expectations.

**VJSImpact – **I could never forget McCena!

**iNdy MiLk – **The Cenas ARE pretty sneaky! But so am I with the update… hope you enjoyed!

**SnowAngel2009 – **Wouldn't you know… all this time later, I'm now gainfully employed by the Mets. It's my JOB to go to games. And sometimes work with the players. Hard life, right?

**Nic-002001 – **Hope you enjoyed… I definitely did some editing of the vows from two years ago! Definitely for the better.

**Westfan – **I can't believe it's been so long since we've spoken, but hopefully the hubby is still keeping you occupied. ;-) It's definitely a different WWE right now, but I'm digging it… a lot. Miss ya!

**Cena-holic8 – **Hope you enjoyed!

**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf – **Yeah, that's Orton for you. Steph has her moments, but deep down, she loves her sister. She just loves herself more! I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Tiffyxox – **Randy's such a goober sometimes. Hope you liked how the wedding turned out.

**Animal-Viper-Cena-Fan – **Thank you! Hope you enjoyed!

**Justxdazzled3 – **Dear Lord, that woman is off her rocker. I hope you enjoyed the wedding… I put my heart and soul into it.

**BingoBaby – **Oh, thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this one!

**Dj-ssdd – **Wow, re-reading this trilogy is a CHORE. Props to you… here's your belated reward!

**So, that is it for the most part. I will be working on She's a Rebel IV: The Resolution soon, so keep posted. Since so much time has passed, I'm probably going to catch up on some things I've missed and rework some aspects of the plot. I plan on filling you all in right from the beginning as to what has gone on in all of the characters' respective lives between the end of Cupids Chokehold and the start of The Resolution. Do not fret!**

**Hope this update finds you all well and that you don't resent me for not updating sooner. The important thing is that I DID come back to this story. It's my baby… how could I not?**

**Please review!**

**Rock on, Rebels!**

**Danielle**


End file.
